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Donor-Conceived People in LGBTQ Families: Experiences & Legal Landscape

This LGBTQ+ community webinar will highlight stories from people who were born into LGBTQ+ families through donor conception. As policy recommendations about donor conception are in the news, it’s important that the experiences of donor-conceived people in LGBTQ+ families are uplifted and understood. This free online event will also include an overview of current and proposed practices and laws impacting donor-conceived people, LGBTQ+ parents, and gamete donors.

This event is co-hosted by COLAGE, GLAD, and The Sperm Bank of California.

Automatic captions will be available.

REGISTER TODAY

Visit the Zoom registration page or fill out the form below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1716687818096/WN_SwyEyMpJQmyVlJBJ0UNYHA

Questions? Contact Qwin Mbabazi at qmbabazi@glad.org.

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Celebrating Historic LGBTQ+ Representation in the 2022 Elections

While we don’t know the full results from Tuesday’s midterm elections yet, we know there are many things to celebrate, including the historic representation of LGBTQ+ elected officials. We are celebrating:

  • Maura Healey was elected the first out lesbian governor in the country, as well as the first woman governor in Massachusetts.
  • Oregon’s Tina Kotek was voted in as the nation’s second openly lesbian governor.
  • Andrea Campbell won a historic victory as the first Black woman Attorney General in Massachusetts.
  • Vermont has elected its first LGBTQ+ legislator – and first woman – to Congress in Representative-Elect Becca Balint.
  • California Representative-Elect Robert Garcia became the first openly gay immigrant elected to Congress. He is the third openly gay representative elected to Congress from California.
  • Montana and Minnesota elected their first transgender state representatives:  Zooey Zephyr in Montana and Leigh Finke in Minnesota.
  • New Hampshire Representative-Elect James Roesener became the first transgender man ever elected to a state legislature.
  • Minnesota elected Alicia Kozlowski, the first nonbinary member in the state legislature.

Along with so many firsts, voters supported a number of positive ballot measures:

  • Five states voted to protect access to abortion: California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana.
  • Vermont, along with Alabama, Oregon, and Tennessee, passed constitutional amendments banning slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime.
  • In a crucial win for voting rights, Michigan and Connecticut expanded early voting.
  • In Massachusetts, voters upheld a law that protects access to driver’s licenses for all people who live in the Commonwealth, regardless of immigration status.

Celebrating our victories fuels our hope, and our hope will sustain us in our work for justice.

The path to protecting democracy and truly fulfilling the promise of freedom, equality, and justice for all is long. It extends beyond any one election cycle. This election held some good news and some setbacks, but we must all stay engaged every day for the long term. With you by our side, GLAD will be here to keep fighting every day and every step of the way.

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Thank you to everyone who made our 23rd Annual Spirit of Justice Award Dinner such a success!

GLAD’s biggest event of the year brought together supporters of LGBTQ+ equality for an opportunity to unite in resistance, look toward a future of true justice, and support GLAD’s life-changing mission.

This year, we were thrilled to honor Nadine Smith with the Spirit of Justice Award. Nadine is the Executive Director of Equality Florida and a lifelong advocate for human rights and LGBTQ+ equality.

Nadine called for us all to carry on through this moment – not by out-hating or out-destroying, but with community:

“The way you stand up to terror is not to be terrorized. Love, hope, and joy…is the thing that has gotten us through over and over and over again… Love makes you brave. Joy makes you clever. And hope makes you strong… In this moment, it is the antidote to what they are coming at us with. It is the antidote to fear. And so, let us continue, as we always have, to be resilient, to sing in our grief, to laugh in our pain, to look out for one another, and to hold on to love, hope, and joy.”

YouTube video

The event was an incredible night of advocacy, connection, and hope.

It was also an opportunity for GLAD to announce a new strategic agenda – one that recognizes the profound challenges our community and our country are facing.

Read more about GLAD’s commitment to meeting these challenges and sustaining our fight for justice for all.

Thanks to supporters like you, we were able to raise over a quarter of a million dollars at the Spirit of Justice to support our work to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people and pursue the promise of freedom and justice for all.

You can still support this critical work by making a gift to our Rise the Challenge match today!

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Find more events and opportunities to connect with the GLAD community.

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Skip to video

Across the country, communities are facing escalating attempts to censor lessons on American history and race, silence classroom discussions of LGBTQ+ people and families, and ban LGBTQ+ books from school and public libraries. These efforts make it more difficult for teachers to educate and deprive students of essential support, information, and skills.

Watch this powerful conversation about the impacts these dangerous laws are already having on students and schools, and strategies for challenging these laws and advancing supportive policies. Together, we can protect public education’s important purpose: to provide all students with the skills, knowledge, and supportive environment they need to thrive in school.

Panelists include:

  • Nadine Smith, Executive Director at Equality Florida
  • Chris Erchull, Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
  • Nikole Parker, Director of Transgender Equality at Equality Florida
  • Tina Philibotte, Chief Equity Officer for the Manchester School District
  • Andres Mejia, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the Exeter Region Cooperative School District
  • Alberto Cairo, journalist and parent of a transgender child in Florida public school

Moderated by Michael Johnson, Chief Legal Strategist at GLAD.

Tina Philibotte and Andres Mejia are also plaintiffs in GLAD’s lawsuit challenging New Hampshire’s school censorship law.

This event was hosted by GLAD, Equality Florida, ACLU of NH, and PFLAG.

Watch the video:

YouTube video

Resources:

News and Media:

If you have questions about your rights in New England, you can contact GLAD’s free, confidential legal infoline, GLAD Answers

Enjoyed the event? Join our email list and check our events page to find future conversations like this!

Treatment Not Imprisonment: A Conversation About Trauma and Incarceration in the LGBTQ+ Community

This event will be held in-person at Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC, and streaming virtually.

LGBTQ+ people are overrepresented in U.S. jails and prisons and often face brutal treatment, experience a lack of appropriate resources or are denied necessary medical care when incarcerated. Experiences of discrimination and untreated trauma increase the likelihood of interactions with the criminal justice system. LGBTQ+ people are often then subject to further trauma in prison facilities, with few to no treatment options available.

Hosted by Dee Deidre Farmer, the first transgender plaintiff to bring a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Her precedent-setting case, Farmer v. Brennan (1994), set the standard that prison officials can be held liable under the Eighth Amendment for deliberate disregard for the health and safety of incarcerated people. Dee currently leads the Fight4Justice Project and consults with legal organizations like NCLR and GLAD.

This roundtable conversation will present evidence about trauma experienced by LGBTQ+ people prior to and during incarceration and will make the case for prioritizing treatment in the community before and as an alternative to imprisonment.

Featuring:

  • Michael Cox, Executive Director, Black and Pink Massachusetts
  • Jennifer Levi, Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights, GLAD
  • Cynthia Totten, Deputy Executive Director, Just Detention International
  • Taylar Nuevelle, Founder, Who Speaks For Me

Hosted by Dee Deidre Farmer, Founder and Executive Director of the Fight4Justice Project, and Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

For parking information, visit Parkopedia.

PLEASE NOTE: Proof of COVID vaccine or proof of medical or religious exemption are required. Here’s what you need to do.

RSVP TODAY:

 

From Georgetown University:
COVID Safety Instructions for Visiting Campus

To help protect the health and safety of the Georgetown community, including our guests, all visitors ages 12 and older to University-owned or operated buildings must be up to date on COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., primary series and, when eligible, an additional dose), or attest to having a medical or religious exemption from being vaccinated.

Please follow the steps below that are required before your visit.

  • Step #1: Anytime between now and the day before your visit, please submit documentation showing you are up to date on COVID-19 vaccination with a vaccine authorized for emergency use or granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO). Acceptable proof of vaccination includes, but is not limited to:
    • CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Card
    • WHO Vaccine Booklet
    • Documentation provided by a healthcare organization or country

Note: If you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccination but attest to having an appropriate medical or religious reason for not being vaccinated, you will be able to indicate this as part of Step #1 and proceed with the process required to visit our campus. You will be required to submit to the University proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to your arrival time on our campus when you submit your health attestation on the day of the event.

  • Step #2: Assuming successful completion of Step 1, you will receive a short health attestation form via email on the morning of the event date. Please complete this form, attesting that you are symptom-free before coming to campus. If you indicate any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, you will not be permitted to visit a Georgetown-owned or managed campus or building until you are symptom-free.

Click to Complete Step #1

Your Georgetown University host will be able to monitor your progress on Step #1 above, and they may contact you if they see that you have not yet completed this step ahead of your scheduled time on campus. While event hosts are not provided information about your COVID-19 vaccination or your religious or medical exemption from vaccination, they are notified of the outcome of any COVID-19 test required by the University in connection with a claimed exemption and whether you have reported having COVID-19 symptoms or being in close contact with anyone who has tested positive.

Questions about the event? Contact Ivory King at iking@glad.org.

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Making LGBTQ+ History 

An LGBTQ+ History Month celebration of the historic work you make possible

Since our founding in 1978, GLAD has been at the forefront of the fight for equality. Through advocacy and litigation, we work to change the legal landscape for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV.

GLAD attorneys have argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, each time making a difference felt across the country. As LGBTQ+ History Month comes to a close and a new Supreme Court session gets under way, we are celebrating our role in these cases and their lasting impact.

Three photos. The first of plaintiff Jim Obergefell and GLAD attorney Mary L. Bonauto speak to press outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. AIDS Law Project Director Bennett Klein outside the Supreme Court building following argument in Bragdon v. Abbott. And marchers with a large banner that says, Irish American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston.

The Right to Marry Throughout the Country

Obergefell v. Hodges was a pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ rights. In a lawsuit challenging state bans on same-sex marriage, Civil Rights Project Director Mary L. Bonauto’s Supreme Court argument led to a 2015 ruling that affirmed marriage equality for same-sex couples nationwide. Since then, millions of couples across the country have been able to get married, knowing that no matter where they live or travel in the United States, the law will recognize their relationship.

Today, we are working to reaffirm this hard-won right and protect against threats from the current Supreme Court by passing the Respect for Marriage Act. Learn more and take action.

A Culture-Shifting Victory for People Living With HIV

Bragdon v. Abbott, argued by GLAD Senior Attorney and AIDS Law Project Director Ben Klein, established that people with HIV are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This culture-shifting moment was a critical victory for the push to end HIV-related discrimination in jobs, housing, and healthcare.

While we continue to defend the rights of people living with HIV, we are also passing legislation to expand access to PrEP – a safe and effective daily pill that reduces the risk of HIV transmission by close to 100%. PrEP is the most effective tool we have to prevent HIV transmission and bring an end to the HIV epidemic.

The First Openly Gay Attorney at the Supreme Court

In 1995, GLAD founder John Ward argued Hurley v. GLIB, becoming the first openly gay man to argue a case in the U.S. Supreme Court. While the court ruled against our argument defending the right of Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Group of Boston to march in Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the case marked significant progress for visibility and acceptance of LGB people. GLAD’s leadership in this case helped set the stage for future victories.

We’re not done making history.

Each time we file a lawsuit or tackle an issue, we tear down more outdated laws and stereotypes that have denied our community basic protections and opportunities. Whether we’re affirming LGBTQ+ youth and older adults, fighting for transgender rights, ending discrimination against people living with HIV, or protecting LGBTQ+ families, GLAD is committed to equality.

As our community faces new challenges and right wing attacks on our rights across the country, we are not backing down. We remain steadfast in defending our gains and continuing to expand protections. We’re in this for the long haul, and we need you with us.

Your support makes that work possible. Please donate today to help us continue making an impact.

Donate now

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In some states across the country, there have been censorship attempts that include banning books and laws that have gone as far as banning conversations in school about race, gender, LGBTQ+ identities, and disability. This Latin American Heritage Month, we are celebrating the creative contributions of authors of Latinx and Latin American descent that have had one of their books challenged or banned in classrooms or school libraries. We are excited to share a little bit about these individuals as we come to the end of Banned Books Week, and highlight their work.

Students and faculty alike are harmed by censoring information or passing legislation that prevents us from talking about our identities, families, and heritage. It also makes it impossible for us to honestly reckon with the United States’ history of exclusion. GLAD continues to fight these school censorship efforts, as we are doing in New Hampshire with our lawsuit Mejia et al. v. Edelblut et al.  because everyone deserves to be included and empowered at school.

Photo of Carmen and the cover of her book In the Dream House

Carmen Maria Machado

In the Dream House

Carmen Maria Machado is an author, essayist, and critic who grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She is most well-known for Her Body and Other Parties (2017). Her memoir, In the Dream House (2019), was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction, praised for Machado’s “brave baring of a painful experience and a reckoning with our collective failure to truly deal with queer intimate partner abuse.” This book appears on Central York School District’s list of banned books and has been challenged in many other states. Learn more about Carmen.

 

Photo of Gabby Rivera and the cover of Juliet Takes A Breath

Gabby Rivera

Juliet Takes a Breath

Gabby Rivera was born in the Bronx and grew up in a religious evangelical household. She is well known for creating strong Latina characters, such as the queer Marvel superhero America Chavez and Juliet Milagros Palante, the title character in Juliet Takes a Breath. Juliet Takes a Breath is a coming-of-age story that grapples with coming out, intersectionality, feminism, and “the whole Puerto Rican lesbian thing.” Although this book has been widely praised, including by Roxane Gay who called it “fucking outstanding,” Forsyth County School District, Georgia, included it on its list of banned books citing that they can remove books that are “pervasively vulgar.” Learn more about Gabby.

 

Benjamin Saénz and the cover of his book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz was born and raised in New Mexico. One of his most decorated novels, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a coming-of-age story about two gay Mexican-American teenagers, their friendship, and their struggles with their identities. Although this book has been widely praised, and even named among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time (alongside Catcher in the Rye, Little Women, and To Kill a Mockingbird), has appeared on a list of proposed banned books by a Texas legislator. Learn more about Benjamin.

 

Image of the cover of Adam Silvera's book They Both Die at the End

Adam Silvera

They Both Die at the End

Adam Silvera was born and raised in the South Bronx. His third novel They Both Die In the End features a gay Puerto Rican and a bisexual Cuban as main characters. Although it is widely acclaimed, has appeared on a list of proposed banned books by a Texas legislator. Learn more about Adam.

 

Photo of Ana Castillo and the cover of So Far From God

Ana Castillo

So Far from God

Ana Castillo was born in Chicago, IL. Castillo is known for her experimental style as a Latina novelist. Her book So Far from God addresses themes of rebellion, spirituality, and gender. While praised as a Chicana LGBT+ feminist book, it was banned by the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona. Learn more about Ana.

 

Photo of Gloria Anzaldúa and the cover of Borderlands/La Frontera

Gloria Anzaldúa

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza

Gloria Anzaldúa was born in South Texas. She has contributed foundational texts of Chicana cultural theory, feminist theory, Latinx philosophy, and queer theory. Her semi-autobiographical book, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza discusses her life growing up on the Mexico-Texas border, and was banned by the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona.

 

Cover of Aiden Thomas's book Cemetery Boys

Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys

Aiden Thomas is a Latinx author of young adult novels. Their best-known work Cemetery Boys was a New York Times bestseller, winning numerous awards, including best of the year recognition from the American Library Association, Publishers Weekly, Barnes and Noble, NPR, and School Library Journal. Cemetery Boys follows the magical story of a transgender boy and his journey to be accepted by his traditional Latinx family and his community of brujos. This book has appeared on a list of proposed banned books by a Texas legislator. Learn more about Aiden.

 

Learn more about challenged and banned books from the American Library Association.

Banned Identities, Forbidden History: Challenging School Censorship Laws

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Across the country, communities are facing escalating attempts to censor lessons on American history and race, silence classroom discussions of LGBTQ+ people and families, and ban LGBTQ+ books from school and public libraries. These efforts make it more difficult for teachers to educate and deprive students of essential support, information, and skills.

Watch this powerful conversation about the impacts these dangerous laws are already having on students and schools, and strategies for challenging these laws and advancing supportive policies. Together, we can protect public education’s important purpose: to provide all students with the skills, knowledge, and supportive environment they need to thrive in school.

Panelists include:

  • Nadine Smith, Executive Director at Equality Florida
  • Chris Erchull, Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
  • Nikole Parker, Director of Transgender Equality at Equality Florida
  • Tina Philibotte, Chief Equity Officer for the Manchester School District
  • Andres Mejia, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the Exeter Region Cooperative School District
  • Alberto Cairo, journalist and parent of a transgender child in Florida public school

Moderated by Michael Johnson, Chief Legal Strategist at GLAD.

Tina Philibotte and Andres Mejia are also plaintiffs in GLAD’s lawsuit challenging New Hampshire’s school censorship law.

This event was hosted by GLAD, Equality Florida, ACLU of NH, and PFLAG.

Watch the video:

YouTube video

Resources:

News and Media:

If you have questions about your rights in New England, you can contact GLAD’s free, confidential legal infoline, GLAD Answers

Enjoyed the event? Join our email list and check our events page to find future conversations like this!

Blog

Earlier this year, we sued to stop a dangerous Alabama law that would criminalize parents who seek lifesaving healthcare for their transgender children, as well as doctors and other medical professionals who provide that care.

With our partners, we filed Reverend Eknes-Tucker v. Marshall on behalf of local families, medical providers, and the Pastor of a Birmingham church. In May, a federal judge stopped Alabama from enforcing the law while our lawsuit continues, enabling trans youth to continue to get the vital healthcare they need to thrive.

Now, as the 11th Circuit considers whether to continue blocking the law, more parents of transgender youth are sharing their stories with the court. 

In their friend-of-the-court brief, parents described the importance of being able to seek the best medical advice and care to support their children’s well-being, and how they have seen their children flourish with access to the right care.

Medical experts, faith groups, and 21 U.S. states also filed briefs urging the Appeals Court to keep the bar on Alabama’s law in place.

Excerpts from the Parents’ brief:

When their children came out to them as transgender, each one of these parents was surprised, scared, and confused. Their very first step was to make sure their child knew that they would never stop loving and supporting them, and then they set out to determine what they needed to do to protect and ensure their child’s health and safety. This included seeking professional medical assistance to determine whether their child was, in fact, suffering from gender dysphoria and, if so, to devise a treatment plan.

Laura and Brian Coe, parents of 15-year-old Matthew (proceeding anonymously)

As much as Matthew has benefitted simply from being accepted and affirmed by his family, school, doctors, and friends, his medical transition is a critical measure for his well-being…Since obtaining the medical care that he needs, Laura and Brian have seen Matthew begin to “come to life.” The Coes would “worry for Matthew’s safety” if there were a disruption to his care. They are “simply trying to support their child and provide him with the best care possible.”

Melissa Soe, parent of 15-year-old Taylor (proceeding anonymously)

Since coming out and receiving care, Taylor has gone from “an anxious, sad kid who had a hard time getting up in the morning, to a kid who is up and out on their bike, in the woods, and going to camp.” Taylor is finally beginning to remind their parents of the happy-go-lucky kid they were when they were younger, prior to puberty taking its toll…” [It is] very important to Taylor to have continuity of care,” which would be disrupted by implementation of [SB 184]. Simply knowing that such care is accessible has significantly decreased Taylor’s distress.

Cynthia Lamar-Hart, parent of Gwendolyn who began receiving transition-related care while an adolescent living in Alabama and is now in her late 20s

Because access to care was not available in Alabama at the time, the family had to travel out-of-state:

[E]ven with the means to afford and make time for out-of-state treatment, Cynthia witnessed how …  months of delays in Gwendolyn’s care resulted in suffering that she would not have experienced had she been able to visit a clinic in-state. Cynthia quickly saw a change in Gwendolyn after she began receiving transition-related care. Once Gwendolyn began the process of transitioning, she was no longer withdrawn, and became more confident and engaged socially and at school.

Joining these parents in asking the Court of Appeals to continue blocking enforcement of Alabama’s law are:

  • Scientists and clinicians with extensive expertise in the recognized standards of care for adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria. These seven scientists/clinicians have more than 57 years of clinical practice and have treated more than 2,100 transgender youth.
  • Religious organizations including the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the Southeast Conference of The United Church of Christ.
  • 21 U.S. states that have adopted policies protecting access to healthcare and prohibiting discrimination against transgender youth and adults.
  • The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young people.

Find the briefs and other case documents are available on the case page. Oral argument is scheduled for the week of November 14, 2022, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Montgomery, Alabama.

News

Legal Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Reject Effort Seeking Unprecedented Exemption from Anti-Discrimination Law

LGBTQ+ organizations’ friend-of-the-court brief warns the “free speech exemption” sought by petitioners in 303 Creative v. Elenis would undermine the bedrock protections that public accommodations laws have long provided against discrimination based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status and more in the marketplace 

LGBTQ+ civil and legal rights advocates today filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm long-standing precedent that preserves equal access to the commercial marketplace for all. They warned that granting the unprecedented “free speech exemption” sought by petitioners in 303 Creative v. Elenis would inevitably lead to increased discrimination based on the religious or other beliefs of the service provider, not only related to LGBTQ+ people or weddings, but across the population.

The brief, co-authored by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and White & Case LLP, and joined by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the National LGBTQ Task Force, argues that the broad, unbounded exemption from Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act the petitioners seek would undermine the civil rights settlement achieved in the 1964 Civil Rights Act and numerous state laws that we all have access to goods and services from businesses who open themselves up to the public, notwithstanding personal views of the providers. This case threatens to disrupt that bedrock principle.

The brief chronicles the development of nondiscrimination laws in public accommodations, that is, public-facing businesses, to ensure we can all obtain what we need without being turned away for who we are. These laws have been enacted and enforced to realize our nation’s aspirations of full citizenship and equal participation in a free marketplace for everyone, with sellers and service providers free to express their views in other ways. To grant the far-reaching and unprecedented exemption the petitioners seek in this case risks turning us back towards a time when Irish, Jewish, Catholic, LGBTQ+, Asian or Black Americans, as well as women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and people of many faiths were blatantly denied access to commercial businesses.

303 Creative v. Elenis was brought on behalf of a website development business seeking an exemption from state nondiscrimination law that would allow them to deny service to same-sex couples if the business decides to market wedding-related websites in the future. The petitioners are seeking a special exception to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which requires them, and all businesses, to provide their services equally without regard to specified characteristics.

As the organizations note in their brief, granting that exception would be a dangerous change to longstanding law. For decades, courts, including the Supreme Court, have rejected attempts to hollow out public accommodation laws by creating a right in public businesses to exclude customers based on their beliefs and views. Authorizing such an unprecedented exemption would contradict the long-understood agreement that such businesses remain open to all. Changing that rule will lead to more discrimination, more polarization, more group-based animosity and more people struggling to get the goods and services they need.

“Our public accommodation laws are a unifying force that respect the rights of every person to obtain the goods and services they need to live their lives. The proposed change would allow sellers to turn people away for who they are, and not only LGBTQ+ people. People shouldn’t have to call ahead to find out if a business serves people of their faith or other personal characteristics,” said Mary Bonauto, GLAD Civil Rights Project Director. “Exclusion and segregation in the public market harms all of us.”

“We hope the Supreme Court will reject this invitation to create a dangerous loophole in anti-discrimination laws,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “We are one country, and ensuring that everyone has equal access to commercial goods and services plays an essential role in preventing social conflict and fragmentation.”

“This case is about the difference between the marketplace of ideas, and the marketplace for shopping,” Lambda Legal Acting Chief Legal Officer Jennifer C. Pizer said. “The business owner pushing this case has been fully free and effective in communicating her ideas about same-sex couples and marriage. Colorado’s law has not muzzled her. But, under decades of settled Supreme Court law, her free speech rights do not, and must not, authorize her to express her ideas by the conduct of rejecting customers when offering her services for sale to the general public. Civil rights laws are there to ensure that “open for business” means “open for business for everyone.”

Learn more about the case

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