AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, Jeff Strater, President of the Texas Stonewall Democrats, released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court voting to curtail rights for LGBTQ+ Americans and allowing for discrimination on the basis of “religious freedom”:

“Far-right extremists, this time under the supposed guise of ‘religious freedom,’ have succeeded in allowing unfettered discrimination in public accommodations with this decision. 

“Let me be frank: LGBTQ+ – and all minority – rights are in jeopardy here in Texas and across the country. 

“This is a sad day for America, and, horrifically, only time will tell just how broad this ruling will be. Will a shop owner be allowed to refuse to sell goods to a man in a yarmulke because of ‘religious beliefs’? Will a woman in a hijab be denied emergency care at a Christian hospital?

“This has been a tragically sad Pride Month in Texas and all over the United States. We’ve seen ultra-MAGA extremists at every level of government work to demonize, tarnish, and degenerate their LGBTQ+ neighbors – often even achieving legislative success. But as we approach the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, we need to remember that there will always be a loud minority who are willing to stand in the way – and even actively work to overturn – progress in the securing of basic human rights. Sometimes that minority will even temporarily get its way. 

“What the Civil Rights Act taught us is that we cannot lose hope and we cannot stop fighting. 

“Because as long as a dedicated majority continues the fight to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, it will, eventually, bend. Time – and progress – only marches in one direction: forward.”

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