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Wie Sie alle wissen, spielen die Gerichte – als unabhängige dritte Gewalt – eine zentrale Rolle beim Schutz der Rechte aller Bürger, insbesondere beim Schutz unbeliebter Minderheiten vor der sogenannten „Tyrannei der Mehrheit“. GLAD verrichtet einen Großteil seiner Arbeit vor Gerichten, darunter auch vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof der Vereinigten Staaten, wo wir uns für die Gleichstellung der Ehe, die Rechte von Menschen mit HIV, die Rechte von LGBTQ-Eltern und ganz grundsätzlich für das Recht von LGBTQ-Personen und Menschen mit HIV auf gleiche Behandlung mit Würde eingesetzt haben.

Daher müssen wir auch für den Schutz und die Verteidigung der Integrität der Gerichte kämpfen und dazu beitragen, dass sie allen Menschen zu gleichen Bedingungen offen stehen. Jeder Prozessbeteiligte muss ein faires und unparteiisches Verfahren erhalten und darauf vertrauen können, dass die Richter, vor denen er erscheint, sich der Rechtsstaatlichkeit verpflichtet fühlen, zu der auch die Einhaltung der in der Verfassung verankerten Garantien für Freiheit, Würde und Gleichbehandlung aller Menschen gehört.

Dies ist für den Obersten Gerichtshof der Vereinigten Staaten, der die Bedeutung von Bundesgesetzen und unserer Bundesverfassung endgültig auslegt, von entscheidender Bedeutung. Aus diesem Grund fordern wir den Senat auf, Richter Neil Gorsuch, Präsident Trumps Kandidaten für den Obersten Gerichtshof, sehr sorgfältig zu prüfen, um festzustellen, ob er wirklich bereit ist, die lebenswichtigen Garantien aller zu schützen.

Hier bei GLAD haben wir ernsthafte Bedenken, ob Richter Gorsuch diesen Standard erfüllt. In Druley gegen Patton, 601 Fed. App'x 632 (10^th Cir. 2015) schloss sich Richter Gorsuch einem Gutachten an, das die Klagen einer Transgender-Gefangenen zurückwies. Diese behauptete, ihre verfassungsmäßigen Rechte seien verletzt worden, als Gefängnisbeamte ihre Hormontherapie über 27 Jahre hinweg mehrfach begonnen und abgebrochen hätten und ihr derzeit eine unzureichende Dosis verabreicht hätten.

Unter Berufung auf eine 30 Jahre alte Entscheidung lehnten diese Richter es 2015 schlicht ab, Häftlingen mit „GID“ ein Recht auf Hormontherapie zuzuerkennen. Zu ihren Ansprüchen auf Gleichbehandlung, Kleidung und Unterbringung in einer reinen Männereinrichtung erklärte das Gericht schlicht und einfach, das Gefängnis habe rational gehandelt und „eine transsexuelle Klägerin“ gehöre nicht zu einer geschützten Gruppe, die Anspruch auf eine verstärkte Prüfung durch die Staatsgerichte habe.

Wir sind auch besorgt über die Religionsfreiheit und darüber, wie neuartige Ansprüche hinsichtlich der freien Religionsausübung geltend gemacht werden können, um der LGBTQ-Gemeinschaft und Frauen großen Schaden zuzufügen – etwas, das im Widerspruch zum geltenden Recht steht, das die religiösen Überzeugungen der Bürger zu Recht respektiert, solange sie anderen keinen Schaden zufügen.

In der mittlerweile berühmten (oder berüchtigten) Hobby Lobby In diesem Fall entschied der Oberste Gerichtshof, dass eine Aktiengesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung tatsächlich Anspruch darauf erheben könne, aufgrund ihrer religiösen Überzeugung von einem Teil der Anforderungen des Affordable Care Act hinsichtlich der Kostenübernahme von Verhütungsmitteln befreit zu sein. Vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof war dieser Fall bereits vor Richter Gorsuchs Gericht verhandelt worden, das zugunsten der Aktiengesellschaft entschieden hatte. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. gegen Sebelius, 723 F.3d 1114 (10^th Cir. 2013). Dort verfasste Richter Gorsuch ein übereinstimmendes Gutachten, in dem er im Wesentlichen argumentierte, dass ein Gericht den Glauben einer Person nicht anfechten könne, dass eine bestimmte Handlung sie zu Mittäterin einer Handlung mache, die sie nicht billige, und daher ihre Handlungen entschuldige. Stellen Sie sich vor, wie sich dieses dehnbare Konzept der Mittäterschaft (denken Sie daran, dass religiöse Organisationen behaupten, es sei Mittäterschaft, wenn sie der Regierung überhaupt ein Dokument vorlegen, in dem sie ihr Recht auf Befreiung von der Verhütungspflicht des ACA geltend machen) auf die LGBTQ-Gemeinschaft auswirken könnte, z. B. bei der Bereitstellung jeglicher Art von Dienstleistungen für LGBTQ-Personen.

Im weiteren Sinne basieren viele wichtige Rechtsschutzbestimmungen – wie das Recht auf Verhütung, Abtreibung, sexuelle Intimität und die legale Ehe mit dem geliebten Menschen – auf dem Prinzip der Privatsphäre, der Autonomie und der Menschenwürde. Der Oberste Gerichtshof hat entschieden, dass diese durch die Verfassung geschützt sind – im Rahmen der Doktrin des materiellen Rechtsschutzes. Richter Gorsuch zeigt sich jedoch skeptisch gegenüber diesem gesamten Rechtsgebiet. Siehe Browder gegen die Stadt Albuquerque, 787 F.3d 1076, 1078 (10^th Cir. 2015). Und in diesem gleichen Rechtsgebiet hat er ausführlich über assistierten Suizid und Euthanasie geschrieben und argumentiert, dass diese als Handlungen verboten werden können, „die per Definition einen vorsätzlichen Angriff auf das Grundgut des Lebens beinhalten“, das unantastbar ist. Neil M. Gorsuch, Das Recht auf Beihilfe zum Suizid und Euthanasie, 23 Harv. JL & Pub. Pol'y 599, 701 (1999-2000).

In einem ähnlichen Zusammenhang versuchte der Gouverneur von Utah Mitte 2015, sämtliche Bundesmittel zu streichen, die Planned Parenthood für bestimmte Programme im Bundesstaat über den Staat zuflossen. Planned Parenthood klagte, und schließlich erließ ein dreiköpfiges Richtergremium des US-Berufungsgerichts für den Zehnten Gerichtsbezirk eine einstweilige Verfügung, um dem Gouverneur die Streichung der Mittel zu untersagen. Der gesamte Zehnte Gerichtsbezirk lehnte daraufhin eine erneute Verhandlung des Falls ab. Planned Parenthood Ass'n of Utah gegen Herbert, 839 F.3d 1301 (10^th Cir. 2016). Richter Gorsuch widersprach und argumentierte, dass eine erneute Anhörung gerechtfertigt sei, um dem Gouverneur die Streichung der Gelder zu ermöglichen. Ausweis. um 1307 Uhr.

Schließlich schrieb Herr Gorsuch 2005, bevor er Richter wurde, einen Aufsatz, in dem er „Liberale“ dafür kritisierte, dass sie eine „überhebliche Sucht nach dem Gerichtssaal“ hätten und versuchten, Rechte vor Gericht zu erlangen und zu bewahren, anstatt sie bei Wählern und gewählten Amtsträgern zu erhalten. Seine Beispiele waren die Gleichstellung der Ehe (dies geschah nicht lange nach GLADs Goodridge Entscheidung in Massachusetts), Sterbehilfe und Schulgutscheine. Wo und von wem haben wir den Sirenenschrei der Klage schon einmal gehört?

Dies wirft beunruhigende Fragen hinsichtlich der Bereitschaft von Richter Gorsuch auf, die wichtige Arbeit der Gerichte zum Schutz der Grundrechte der Menschen zu übernehmen.

Der Senat muss die Akten und Schriften dieses Richters gründlich prüfen, um zu sehen, ob ihm dieses hohe Amt, das für uns alle von größter Bedeutung ist, anvertraut werden kann.

Ist bei so viel Rauch mit einem Brand zu rechnen?

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GLAD is preparing to fight like hell.

Earlier this week, we saw a leaked draft of a possible Trump administration executive order on “Religious Freedom.” The order targets LGBTQ people, eviscerates women’s healthcare, privileges one religious viewpoint, and offers tax incentives to those who promote it.

It is nothing short of a far-reaching license to discriminate.

Freedom of religion is a cherished and fundamental right in the US, and it is rightly protected in the First Amendment of our Constitution. But that freedom does not include the right to discriminate.

Make no mistake: if this order is signed and its directives are allowed to stand, people will get hurt.

GLAD’s lawyers saw this coming, and are already strategizing about how to fight it.

We stand ready to go to court to protect the rights of LGBTQ people and our families, friends, and allies who would be hurt by this order.

Are you with us?

We know so many people of faith agree that freedom means freedom for all – not freedom to discriminate. But we have all seen the hateful tenor of the current administration and their campaign of divisiveness.

If a final executive order anything like this draft is signed, we will be ready to fight for all our lives, and all our freedom. But we need your help.

GLAD’s lawyers have a 40-year track record of defending and advancing equal justice under the law, from transgender rights, to marriage equality, to ensuring those with HIV can get the healthcare they need. They are strategic, smart, and experienced – and they are fired up.

We won’t give in to divisiveness – and we won’t go back. Give now to ensure that we can keep our laws on the right side of justice and true freedom for all.

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As legal organizations dedicated to securing the freedom and equality of LGBT persons through the courts, we call on the President to nominate, and the Senate to confirm, a new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States who has a demonstrated commitment to the legal equality of the full diversity of LGBT people and their families, and who will honor past Supreme Court decisions recognizing that equality.

Our organizations have represented the plaintiffs in many cases before the Supreme Court that have firmly established the principle over the past 20 years that our Constitution requires equal treatment of LGBT persons under the law, including the freedom to marry.

Further, as organizations dedicated more broadly to our democracy’s fundamental promises of justice and equality, we call on the Senate to reject any nominee to the Court who does not clearly affirm a commitment to upholding the Constitution’s guarantees of liberty and equal protection for all Americans.

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation. www.gladlaw.org

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. www.lambdalegal.org

NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. www.nclrights.org

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The President does not get to claim support for LGBTQ people simply by not rolling back an existing order on explicit non-discrimination protections. The records of those the President has surrounded himself with and appointed to his cabinet, from Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions to Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos, paint a different picture of where the administration stands on LGBTQ equality.

Furthermore, LGBTQ people are in every community, and we stand in solidarity with other marginalized groups, including immigrants, Muslims, women, and people of color who have already been the targets of attack by this administration. We will stay vigilant against discrimination on all fronts, and we will not be divided.

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When I found out the Women’s March on Washington was on a Saturday, I had an important choice to make.

Like many other Jews, I don’t do work on Shabbat. I love that the practice of Shabbat is modeled on the divine’s day of rest after the creation of a perfect world. So once a week we are given the opportunity to live as if the world is flawless. As if we, through our actions of the past week, have worked hard enough to make the world whole and for one day we are not obligated to labor or make change. We are provided a metaphorical deep breath and chance to reflect on all the good around us.

But Judaism also gives us the principle of pikuach nefesh, the idea that the preservation of human life overrules nearly any other religious consideration. When someone is under immediate threat, our commandments not to act become irrelevant.

So I marched.

The current political situation and the threat of our new administration’s actions is a real and clear threat to people’s lives. It’s not theoretical or a hysterically imagined future. And it is at odds with our Jewish values.

I’m taking action because an administration came to power that has already shown itself not only to believe that some people are more human or more deserving than other people, but have already started to create policy based on those discriminatory beliefs—policies that will cost people their livelihoods, their health and their lives.

The Torah insists that we maintain the dignity of the poor and work to provide them with a way out of poverty. But President Trump’s administration has promised tax cuts that would reduce federal income by over $6 trillion over the next decade, and experts say that creating his “balanced” budget will plunge more people into poverty: Medicaid will shrink, the Children’s Health Insurance Program will get smaller, the supplemental nutrition assistance program will be cut, housing and energy assistance for the poor will decrease, and more.

Our values tell us we are all created in the image of God and we must value and protect all people, not just those like us. But President Trump has openly mocked a reporter with a disability that impairs the movement of his arms. He removed a webpage from whitehouse.gov that highlighted the government’s commitment to giving people with disabilities access to education and employment. The proposed head of Housing and Urban Development thinks providing fair housing to transgender people is “special treatment.”

President Trump has pledged to force Muslims to register and has implicitly incited nationwide violence against Islamic communities. Steve Bannon, a senior counselor to the president, was executive chairman of Breitbart, a news site that Bannon dubbed the “home of the alt-right” ― a synonym for white supremacists and neo-Nazis. And Jeff Sessions, the current pick for U.S. attorney general, has been known to make racist statements and policies and joked that he hadn’t joined the KKK “because members of the group smoked marijuana.”

Rabbi Sharon Brous said: “Our children will one day ask us: Where were you when our country was thrust into a lion’s den of demagoguery and division? We will say: I stood with love. I stood with hope. I stood with sisters and brothers of all religions and races and genders and sexualities to insist that we will emerge from the darkness and bask in the brilliance of an America that honors the infinite worth of all of God’s children.”

I didn’t march, as some would accuse, just because “my candidate lost.” I’m taking action because an administration came to power that has already shown itself not only to believe that some people are more human or more deserving than other people, but have already started to create policy based on those discriminatory beliefs—policies that will cost people their livelihoods, their health and their lives.

After marching in Selma, Ala., with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “I felt my feet were praying.” I understand that feeling. Marching on Shabbat—fighting for the rights and dignity of all people—felt, to me, like the greatest way to recognize the divine spark in each of us and to recognize our holy obligation to save lives.

The march has spurred my commitment to take one action every day to combat the bigotry, hatred and life-threatening policies we are seeing in our highest levels of government: calling an elected official, writing to a news outlet that is not reporting the truth, making a donation to a critical issue, having a hard conversation with someone who doesn’t think voting matters.

At the Women’s March on Washington, Rabbi Sharon Brous said: “Our children will one day ask us: Where were you when our country was thrust into a lion’s den of demagoguery and division? We will say: I stood with love. I stood with hope. I stood with sisters and brothers of all religions and races and genders and sexualities to insist that we will emerge from the darkness and bask in the brilliance of an America that honors the infinite worth of all of God’s children.”

My Judaism is rooted in the value of justice. And I am committed to raising my children in a Jewish community and a larger world that teaches us to care for each other and see ourselves in the strangers around us. But I know that for that world to exist—for that Jewish community to be real—it is my responsibility to stand up, speak out and create the reality I want to see.

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While no one can do everything, everyone must do something.

My husband Adam’s great-grandfather owned a chocolate factory in Germany in the early 20th century. He travelled frequently, and gained a sophisticated perspective on what was happening in his own country. He came to believe that it wasn’t normal and that it was not safe for him, his wife and his child, who were Jewish. They escaped to Argentina, where Adam’s grandmother and mother grew up. Most of the rest of their family did not survive World War II.

A man holding a sign at a rally reading We are all one justice movement

Adam’s family history has always made him feel responsible to have an awareness of injustice, prejudice, and violence in the world. It has spurred him to humanitarian action as a doctor. One of his favorite quotes, by Dostoevsky, is engraved in the entry hall of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva:

Everyone is responsible to everyone for everything.

I’ve thought about this quote a lot post-election, when people of good faith are concerned about our country’s future, and about the most vulnerable people among us. Yet, the scope and scale of what lies ahead can feel overwhelming. How much activism is enough? How much should we give? What can we possibly do that is useful? It is easy – and understandable – to feel powerless right now. But we do have power, and we’re obliged to resist. We can rest and restore when we need to – but we cannot retreat. To use another favorite quote of Adam’s, this time by Rabbi Tarfon:

It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.

While no one can do everything, everyone must do something. What is your “something? It helps to look at the tools we have at hand: elections; courts and the law; direct action; persuasion; and philanthropy. Elections matter, and there are elections in our immediate future – mid-term congressional elections, state level elections, and local elections – that will make a difference in our lives. Making our voices heard by voting and communicating with our elected officials is key to our democracy. There are ballot questions that will demand our attention, such as the attempt to repeal the hard-won Massachusetts transgender public accommodations bill in 2018. Courts have tremendous power to protect us and advance our rights, especially when legislatures are failing. Congress may be unlikely to pass the Equality Act, but we can continue to make progress in federal court – and in many state courts. Who sits on our courts matters, and we cannot stand by silently as they are packed with judges who do not interpret our laws and our Constitution to extend equal justice for all. There is a direct action through line from the suffragists chaining themselves to the White House fence, to Selma, ACT UP, and Black Lives Matter. Direct action can show those targeted they are not alone, as well as push our allies to do the right thing when there are competing forces. None of these tools are effective without public persuasion. It is only when we do the hard work of having face-to-face, nonjudgmental, empathetic conversations with reasonable people who disagree, that we help perfect our society. Finally, philanthropy is the fuel that allows non-profit organizations like GLAD to run at full speed. Adam and I recently reached our goal of giving 10% of our income to organizations whose missions and work we support, inspired by the Jewish concept of tithing. It wasn’t easy, it took some time, and it was a priority. These times call on all of us to determine what we are able to give to support the many organizations on the front lines in the fight ahead. We can’t do everything, but every one of us can do something. This is the way we take care of each other, and guard our future. Choose your something.

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BOSTON, January 23, 2017 — Today, notice will be provided to class members in a $7.5 million settlement that has been reached with Walmart and Sam’s Club (together “Walmart”) in a class action lawsuit that challenged the lack of health insurance benefits for the same-sex spouses of associates between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013 (the “Settlement Class Period”). To receive payments under the Settlement, Settlement Class Members must file claims with the Settlement Administrator no later than March 20, 2017.

On December 22, 2016, the District Court presiding over the class action lawsuit granted preliminary approval of the Settlement, and directed the parties to send notice to Settlement Class Members so that they can learn about the Settlement and have the opportunity to submit claims to receive payments.

Walmart voluntarily began making the same Health Insurance benefits that it provides to opposite-sex spouses of its associates available to same-sex spouses of its associates as of January 1, 2014. Walmart denies it did anything wrong. The Court did not decide in favor of Plaintiff or Walmart. Instead, both sides agreed to a settlement.

“Settlement Class Members” include those individuals who, during the January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013 Settlement Class Period, (1) worked at Walmart or Sam’s Club in the United States or Puerto Rico; (2) were legally married to a same-sex spouse; and (3) would have been eligible for spousal Health Insurance Benefits from Walmart or Sam’s Club but for the limitation on providing spousal Health Insurance Benefits to same-sex spouses.

Under the Settlement, Walmart has agreed to pay $7.5 million into a Settlement Fund. Up to $3.5 million of the Settlement Fund will be used to make payments to Settlement Class Members for certain documented out-of-pocket healthcare and/or health insurance costs incurred by their same-sex spouses during the Settlement Class Period. The remaining Settlement Fund, after deducting court-approved attorneys’ fees and expenses, a service award to the Named Plaintiff, and claims administration costs, will be used to make payments to Settlement Class Members who submit claims calculated based on the number of months they would have been eligible for spousal health insurance benefits during the Settlement Class Period. These “short form claimants” can receive a pro-rata share of the remaining funds based on the number of months they are eligible, up to $5,000 per year or up to $15,000 for the three year period. In addition, Walmart has committed to treating same-sex and opposite-sex spouses equally in providing health insurance benefits so long as to do so is consistent with applicable law.

To get a payment, Settlement Class Members must fill out and send in a Claim Form by March 20, 2017. Claim Forms and complete information about the Settlement are available at www.WalmartSameSexSpouseBenefitsSettlement.com.

If Settlement Class Members do nothing, their rights will be affected but they will not get a Settlement payment. Any Settlement Class Member who does not want to be legally bound by the Settlement must exclude themselves from it by March 20, 2017. Settlement Class Members who do not exclude themselves will not be able to sue or continue to sue Walmart for any legal claim resolved by this Settlement or released by the Settlement Agreement. Settlement Class Members who do not exclude themselves may object and notify the Court that they or their lawyer intends to appear at the Court’s Fairness Hearing. Objections are due March 20, 2017. More information is available at www.WalmartSameSexSpouseBenefitsSettlement.com.

Judge William Young will hold a final approval hearing in this case (Cote v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., No. 15-cv-12945-WGY) at 2:00 p.m. on May 11, 2017 at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Boston, MA 02210. At this hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve: the Settlement; Class Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees (up to 25% of the Settlement Fund) and costs; and $25,000 as a service award to the Class Representative. Settlement Class Members or their lawyers may appear at the hearing at their own expense.

For more information visit www.WalmartSameSexSpouseBenefitsSettlement.com or call 1-877-241-7543.

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Today, leading national LGBT advocates issued an urgent call for action on climate change, and announced their strong opposition to President-elect Trump’s nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency. Scott Pruitt’s confirmation hearing was held today before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Nation’s Leading LGBT Advocates Call for Action on Climate, Oppose Nominee for Environmental Protection Agency

Every day we work to make life better for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth—to help families understand and support them, and to build safe and supportive schools and communities. But we are also deeply concerned about the physical world LGBT young people, and all the nation’s young people, will be inheriting—potentially one with more extreme droughts, dangerous heat waves, destructive floods, deadly storms, frightening diseases, and disappearing coastal communities. If we do not take decisive action now, these changes will gravely threaten our communities’ health, economic security, and their very safety in the years to come—and we are already seeing the effects today, all around the country and the world. No one can look at the decisive science and enormous implication of climate change and say “this is not my issue.”

It is against this backdrop that, advocates for LGBT communities, we must strongly oppose the nomination of Scott Pruitt for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Pruitt has worked relentlessly to undermine the EPA’s mission of ensuring clean and safe air and water and protecting workers, consumers, and communities from potentially deadly environmental risks. Pruitt is a die-hard climate change denier who continues to traffic in lies about the science of energy and climate. As the New York Times reported in 2014, Pruitt has regularly allowed energy-industry lobbyists to draft his correspondence to federal officials.

Pruitt also has a long record of active opposition to LGBT people’s dignity and legal equality. He has denounced and tried to resist federal court rulings on the freedom to marry, and is helping spearhead a lawsuit seeking to ensure that transgender workers have no protection from workplace discrimination—yet as head of the EPA he would be responsible for ensuring equal employment opportunity at a major federal agency.

Climate change is likely the most serious issue facing us all in the years ahead and right now. We call on every single member of our communities to commit to civic action to prevent catastrophic climate change. We further call on President-elect Trump to withdraw the nomination of Scott Pruitt, and if he does not, we call on the Senate to reject him.

Co-signed:

CenterLink: Die Community der LGBT-Zentren

Believe Out Loud

Gleichstellungsverband

Family Equality Council

GLBTQ-Rechtsanwälte und -Verteidiger (GLAD)

Einwanderungsgleichheit

Nationale Koalition für schwarze Gerechtigkeit

Nationales Zentrum für Transgender-Gleichstellung

Nationales Zentrum für Lesbenrechte

Nationale LGBTQ-Taskforce

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance

OutServe-SLDN

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The Senate has a responsibility to consider Session’s record in weighing whether he should be confirmed for this important office. We agree that when they look to his record, particularly regarding people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people, women and people with disabilities, they must agree he should not.

GLAD has joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a coalition of over 600 national, state and local organizations in a letter expressing strong opposition to the confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

“In our democracy, the Attorney General is charged with enforcing our nation’s laws without prejudice and with an eye toward justice. And, just as important, the Attorney General has to be seen by the public – every member of the public, from every community – as a fair arbiter of justice. Unfortunately, there is little in Senator Sessions’ record that demonstrates that he would meet such a standard.”

Lesen Sie den Brief.

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The full, devastating impact of yesterday’s election is yet to be known, but I woke up this morning knowing that, first, we must take care of each other.

This is not business as usual. The rhetoric of racism, misogyny and Islamophobia that we endured during the campaign cannot become policy, and cannot become who we are. All of our collective efforts will be more vital than ever.

It will be more vital than ever to have the backs of the most vulnerable in our community, including people of color, youth, transgender people, , religious minorities, immigrants, and people with low incomes.
It will be more vital than ever to defend our Constitution and its bedrock promises of equality.
It will be more vital than ever to use all the tools at our disposal – litigation, advocacy, and dialogue on the local and national level – to safeguard the gains of the last 50 years, since the beginning of the modern civil rights movements.
It will be more vital than ever to reach out to every American of good will to come together as one justice movement..

GLAD is not going anywhere. We are here, and we will continue fighting like hell for all of us.

Our community has been through extremely hard times before, and every time, our community has stepped up – because we are resilient, we are brave, and we are strong. We will continue to move forward, together, to fight for justice for all.