For Immediate Release
June 4, 2018
Contact: Jerame Davis - jdavis@prideatwork.org
Pride at Work Statement on Masterpiece Supreme Court Ruling
Washington - Today, the Supreme Court issued a narrow ruling in favor of the baker in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission previously ruled that the bakery had violated the rights of a same-sex couple when they refused to bake a cake for their wedding. Today’s decision overturns that ruling on the grounds that the Commission was overly biased against the baker’s religion in this case.
“While I don’t agree with the entire ruling issued today by the Supreme Court, I’m heartened that the Court upheld the basic rights of states to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination,” said Jerame Davis, Executive Director of Pride at Work. “LGBTQ people should not have to worry if they will face discrimination by businesses open to the public and while this case may muddy the waters a bit, the fundamentals of state laws designed to protect LGBTQ people remain intact.”
“Today’s ruling was based entirely on the facts of this particular case and not the broader issue of discrimination,” said Shellea Allen, Co-President of Pride at Work. "The majority of the Court concluded that the Commission had not given the bakery a fair hearing due to statements on the record that indicated religious bias."
“If a business is open to the public, they must serve everyone,” said Tim Schlittner, Co-President of Pride at Work. "This is a basic tenet of any society that maintains civility and decency despite our differences. This was never about a cake. It’s about the basic rights we should all enjoy in America.”
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Pride At Work organizes mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBTQ Community for social and economic justice. We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions and we organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, “An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” Learn more at www.prideatwork.org
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