WASHINGTON, D.C., June 4, 2018 – Following today’s 7 to 2 Supreme Court ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which the Court ruled narrowly for the bakery that refused to serve a same-sex couple, AFJ President Nan Aron released the following statement:
“Although this ruling is disappointing, it is important to remember that it is based on circumstances specific to this one case and does nothing to change critical legal rights and protections against discrimination. In fact, we were pleased to see that the rights of LGBTQ people to fair and equal treatment are emphasized in several portions of the ruling. This ruling does not open the door to rampant discrimination as some had feared. What it will most likely do, however, is open the door to extensive litigation aimed at determining how anti-discrimination protections will function in the face of challenges on religious grounds. That’s why it is more important than ever that our laws catch up with our values. We must defend and extend anti-discrimination protections so all of us can take our rightful place as full participants in our society.”