In response to the Supreme Court’s decision today in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, People For the American Way Foundation President Michael Keegan released the following statement:
It’s clear that the Religious Right was hoping for a decision that would transform religious liberty from a shield to protect our individual rights into a sword that would allow them to attack the rights of LGBTQ people. That’s not what they got. This is a narrow decision focused on the particular facts of the particular case.
But while the Court refused the invitation to create a new right to discriminate, it also failed to take a clear stand against the discrimination that millions of people still face, including the gay couple in this case.
The simple truth is that everyone should be able to live their lives without being afraid that they’ll be refused service because of who they are or who they love. It’s time for our nation’s laws and courts to catch up to the public in recognizing that basic principle.
People For the American Way Foundation joined with seven other organizations in filing an amicus brief in this case, which noted that anti-discrimination laws protect, rather than impede, religious freedom.
People For the American Way Foundation is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.
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