Civil and Human Rights Coalition: Sessions Justice Department Shamefully Supports LGBTQ Discrimination

WASHINGTON - September 7, 2017 – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued the following statement after the Sessions Justice Department filed a brief today with the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. In its brief, the government argues that businesses have a right to discriminate against LGBT customers:

"It is shameful that the Sessions Justice Department is advocating for a constitutional right to discriminate against LGBTQ people. This disturbing action is counter to our Constitution, our anti-discrimination laws, and our core American values of justice, fairness, and inclusivity.

This latest reversal, coming just two days before the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, caps off a grim week in which the Trump-Pence administration launched a mean-spirited attack on immigrant youth and also demeaned sexual assault survivors."

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.