The American Constitution Society Stands in Solidarity with the LGBTQ+ Community Ahead of Pride Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2020

CONTACT: Nancy Rodriguez, media@acslaw.org

In recognition of Pride Month and the historical significance of this weekend for the LGBTQ+ community, ACS President Russ Feingold released the following statement today:

“Fifty years ago this Sunday, Americans took to the streets to march for equal rights and full recognition of their personhood. The first Pride march was a call to action from members of the LGBTQ+ community, who one year earlier, resisted police brutality at the Stonewall Inn, and who faced society’s denial of their humanity for generations.

Fifty years later, we reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Five years ago today, advocates and activists won recognition of the constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples in Obergefell v. Hodges. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., that Title VII protections extend to the LGBTQ+ community, protecting individuals from workplace discrimination on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity. These long overdue steps forward were the result of years of agitation and well-crafted legal strategy.

And yet we know that members of the LGBTQ+ community still do not have equal rights under the law. This year’s Pride occurs at a time of renewed attention to the police violence so often perpetrated against trans people of color and the willful failure by our criminal justice system to pursue justice for Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ+ community. Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Riah Milton, Dominique Fells, and too many other trans and nonbinary people of color have been killed just this year.

We honor the hard-fought victories and celebrate the successes of LGBTQ+ champions while still remembering the words of Marsha P. Johnson – ‘you never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.’ All black lives matter. Love is love. And the first Pride was a riot. ACS stands with the LGBTQ+ community in solidarity.”

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AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
ACS believes that the Constitution is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We interpret the Constitution based on its text and against the backdrop of history and lived experience. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, and many others, we work to uphold the Constitution in the 21st Century by ensuring that law is a force for protecting our democracy and the public interest and for improving people’s lives. For more information, visit us at www.acslaw.org or on Twitter @acslaw.