WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Executive Vice President Tanya Clay House issued the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court 6-3 decision in the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis case on LGBTQIA+ rights:
“Open for business no longer means to everyone. Hip Hop Caucus is not surprised as much as it is saddened that on the last day of Pride month, the United States Supreme Court has ruled to deny public accommodations to the LGBTQ+ community, a protected class, based upon the prejudices of people. While this case was brought under the Free Speech Clause, this ruling has opened the door to discrimination against any protected class.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, ‘Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.’
This is another sad day for our nation. In many states around this nation, you can still get married on Sunday, get fired on Monday and get legally put out of your home on Tuesday for being who you are and loving who you love. Moreover, the trans community is under attack daily from extremist state legislators pushing draconian bills banning trans athletes from participating in sports and from using public restrooms.
Despite this traumatic ruling, Hip Hop Caucus calls upon the United States Congress to pass the Equality Act. We need Congress to do as it has done in the past and again pass legislation which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system as an addendum to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“We know that this is only the beginning of the fight to claw back LGBTQIA+ Rights in this nation coming from this court and we urge everyone to stand with Hip Hop Caucus in fighting to protect the civil rights of all Americans”
About Hip Hop Caucus
Formed in 2004, the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that leverages Hip Hop culture to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process. Through a collaborative leadership network, HHC addresses core issues affecting underserved communities. HHC programs and campaigns support solution-driven community organizing led by today’s young leaders.
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