Bet Tzedek is so disheartened and angered at hearing the news of the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis Supreme Court ruling. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, it is a “sad day in American constitutional law and the lives of LGBT people.” She goes on to explain, “Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class … By issuing this new license to discriminate in a case… the immediate, symbolic effect of the decision is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status.”
Bet Tzedek has been serving all communities in Los Angeles — regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity — since we opened our doors in 1974. During that nearly 50-year history, Bet Tzedek has assisted countless members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our advocacy has included representing LGBTQIA+ community members facing unlawful evictions, helping gay and lesbian couples draft advanced health care directives to ensure loved ones can care for each other, seeking reparations owed to those in the community by the German government, and assisting transgender immigrant youth seeking refuge in the U.S.
Seven years ago, Bet Tzedek established its Trans Advocacy Project after witnessing an overwhelming and increased need to provide representation on behalf of transgender community members facing employment, housing, public accommodations, and health care access discrimination. Establishing this program — and serving as allies to, and members of, the LGTBQIA+ community — has been a point of tremendous pride and perpetual growth.
Read the rest of the statement about how Bet Tzedek stands with LGBTQIA+ communities. You can view our posts on social media celebrating Pride Month featuring important historical moments, court cases, facts, and figures in the community, by following our accounts at the bottom of this news digest.
