Congressman McEachin Joins Supreme Court Brief Supporting LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections in Public Accommodations

WASHINGTON – Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) joined Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and more than 200 members of both chambers in filing an amicus brief in support of civil rights protections for historically marginalized groups. The Supreme Court case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission focuses on whether a business can legally discriminate against customers based on sexual orientation, race, religion or ability by citing First Amendment protections for “sincerely” held religious beliefs.

“Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, pregnancy, or ability must have no home in the United States,” said Congressman Donald McEachin. “Allowing businesses to discriminate against any one group endangers the civil rights of all. We must continue to embrace diversity, inclusion, and acceptance, and reject the bigotry and hate that we have seen in Charlottesville, at Masterpiece Cakeshop, this morning in a Richmond neighborhood, and recently in a Chesapeake school. I continue to believe that love shines brighter than evil and hate. I will never stop fighting until all Americans enjoy full equality.”

In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins – a same-sex couple – were denied a wedding cake by Masterpiece Cakeshop because of their sexual orientation. The shop’s owner, Jack Phillips, cited religious objections to same-sex marriage as a justification for his refusal. A Colorado court ruled that the shop could not deny services to individuals based on their sexual orientation, and required the shop to provide staff training and issue reports on steps taken to come into compliance with the ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop has appealed the decision, and the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th.

Congressman McEachin is an active member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. The bipartisan Caucus aims to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality.

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Click here for the full copy of the brief as filed.

Contact: Jamitress Bowden
(202) 225-6365