Mayes: Creative 303 v. Elenis ruling ‘an attack against LGBTQ+ rights’
Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes June 30, 2023 | 12:39 PM
HARRISBURG, June 30 – State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes responded to today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Creative 303 v. Elenis, describing it as “yet another constitutional attack against LGBTQ+ rights.”
In the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today, the court ruled that anti-discrimination laws cannot sanction business owners for refusing to work on same-sex weddings, setting a dangerous precedent for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S.
“With the end of Pride Month upon us, it is evident that today’s ruling aims to chip away at the foundation of LGBTQ+ rights,” Mayes said. “The U.S. Supreme Court continues to overturn progress we’ve made to establish and expand civil protections of LGBTQ+ Americans. Rooted in hypotheticals, the highest court in our country chose to rule in favor of a plaintiff’s hypothetical business and hypothetical clientele, attacking the LGBTQ+ community in the process. This ruling dismantles the progress we made since the Stonewall Riots, which was a riot for justice and a right for humanity led by trans women of color. This ruling is an affront to the meaning of Pride Month, when LGBTQ+ members should feel proud of their identity, today and every day.”
“As my partner and I are expecting a child soon, it will be my vow to raise my child in a world without discrimination in all its insidious forms,” she said. “We must now work to rectify this decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court so that we can ensure that members of the LGBTQ+ community in our commonwealth are treated equally and may pursue their constitutional right to marry without discrimination.”
The U.S. Supreme Court previously ruled 6-3 in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission in 2018, issuing a similar ruling that owners of public accommodations can refuse certain services based on the First Amendment, similar to today’s 6-3 ruling in Creative 303 v. Elenis.
As the first out lesbian elected to the General Assembly, Mayes remains dedicated to working to protect LGBTQ+ rights and ensure all Pennsylvanians are equal.