Progressive Caucus Action Fund Celebrates Supreme Court Decision, Calls for Passage of the Equality Act

WASHINGTON — Executive Director of the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Liz Watson, released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold protections for LGBTQ people in the workplace:

The Supreme Court’s decision today is an historic -- and long-overdue -- victory for LGBTQ+ people and all working people.  In a 6-3 decision the Court stated the painfully obvious: LGBTQ+ people deserve protections from workplace discrimination. This decision was made possible by the courage of Aimee Stephens, Gerald Bostock, Don Zarda, and by decades of tireless organizing in the trans and queer communities. 

This is a crucial step forward in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. However, our work to end state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBTQ people is far from over. Now Congress must take the next step by ensuring that the Equality Act, passed by the House of Representatives in 2019, becomes law.  

While we celebrate this victory, we must also join together to mourn and remember those who are not here to celebrate with us. Aimee Stephens and Don Zarda passed away before their cases were heard in court. We also honor Tony McDade, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, Riah Milton, Nina Pop and the countless other Black trans people murdered at the hands of the police or due to the pervasive culture of anti-trans violence. In their memory and the countless Black and Brown trans and queer freedom fighters before them, we celebrate this win and ready ourselves for the many fights ahead to make sure that Black trans lives matter. 

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 73% of trans and gender-nonconforming people violently killed since 2013 were Black. We have much more work ahead to build a world where LGBTQ+ people can live freely without fear, and that means closing the remaining gaps in our laws to ensure LGBTQ people have strong protections from discrimination. That means passing the Equality Act.