Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement, welcomes the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that sexual orientation and gender identity are not permissible grounds on which to fire an employee. Discrimination against LGBTQ people is a form of violence that must be actively opposed by Catholics.
As of today, more than 8 million LGBTQ employees can now go to work without fear that they will lose their job simply because of who they are or who they love. In barring anti-LGBTQ discrimination, the Supreme Court has advanced further the cause of LGBTQ equality, a cause fully consonant with our faith as Catholics. The laws of our nation now reflect the vast majority of people in the U.S., including Catholics, who oppose anti-LGBTQ discrimination. But more importantly, the ruling grants to the LGBTQ community the respect and dignity that is their right as people created in the image and the likeness of God.
“Pax Christi USA is committed to ending every form of violence, personal and systemic, and that mission includes ending the varied forms of oppression that LGBTQ people still face,” said Executive Director Johnny Zokovitch. “The Supreme Court has taken a major step forward, but Catholics must continue to work against other forms of discrimination in areas like housing and social services, and to do so conscious that the scourges of coronavirus and racism still wound our communities. Today’s victory is just the next step for our members’ nonviolent pursuit of justice.”
“Who would have thought that Justice Gorsuch would contribute to Pride celebrations this month? But he and the five other justices who signed onto the majority opinion barring anti-LGBTQ discrimination have given LGBTQ folks a reason to rejoice,” said Robert Shine, Pax Christi USA’s National Council Chair. “I remember today as I celebrate the transgender women of color, like Marsha Johnson, whose protests made today’s victory possible. Pax Christi USA remains dedicated to pursuing justice in an intersectional way demanded by our faith, which uncompromisingly states that LGBTQ people’s dignity must be respected and that Black Lives Matter.”