FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 June 2023
Contact: Kevin McGuire, 202-538-2386 (mobile)
WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling of 303 Creative v. Elenis, in which the Court created an unprecedented new license for businesses open to the public to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation.
“Today, the Supreme Court of the United States has once again overturned decades of precedent to further erode the rights of a protected class in this country, this time the LGBTQ+ community,” said Rep. Barragán. “The conservative majority on the Supreme Court has a complete disregard for the civil rights protections that have been hard won through the years in courts and in Congress that have led to greater liberty & equality for gender and sexual minorities across the country. This terrible ruling sets up a new class of allowable open-discrimination that may not even be limited to just our LGBTQ+ community; any business – big or small– may now attempt to refuse certain services to any member of any marginalized community under the guise of free speech. The majority of Americans – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—support non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ+ community. No person should face discrimination over who they choose to love or how they choose to identify.
This is not the last word. We will continue the fight in Congress for true LGBTQ+ equity, equality, and non-discrimination.”
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Bellflower, Carson, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Lakewood, Long Beach, Lynwood, Paramount, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, West Carson, and Wilmington. She serves as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Health, Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals Subcommittees.