Representative Colleen Hanabusa Joins Congressional Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Washington, DC – Today, Representative Colleen Hanabusa joined 36 Senators and 174 House members in an amici brief to the Supreme Court supporting a gay couple who was denied service by a bakery. The bakery refused to bake the couple a cake because of the couple’s LGBT identity. The brief was filed in the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. V. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
“A business open to the public must be open to everyone, regardless of the color of their skin or who they love,” said Rep. Hanabusa. As a member of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, "I believe every person has the right to non-discriminatory public accommodations, whether it's receiving medical care, dining at a restaurant or shopping in a department store. That is exactly what this case is about: Denying minorities access to businesses that open their doors to the public. I want to thank Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney and Senator Tammy Baldwin for leading this amici brief. The fight for LGBT equality continues and I will do my part until the day all Americans are free from discrimination.”
In 2012, Masterpiece Cakeshop, a bakery in Colorado open to the public refused to create a wedding cake for husbands-to-be David Mullins and Charlie Craig. The owner of Masterpiece, Jack Phillips told the couple he would not design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because his religious beliefs did not support same-sex marriage. Mullins and Craig pursued their case against Masterpiece and won victories in the lower courts. The Supreme Court will consider whether or not businesses open to the public can ignore state nondiscrimination laws if their motivation for discriminating is based on religious or moral disapproval of LGBT people.
The mission of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus is to achieve the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBT people in the U.S. and around the world. By serving as a resource for Members of Congress, their staff, and the public on LGBT issues, the Caucus works toward the extension of equal rights, the repeal of discriminatory laws, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and the improved health and wellbeing for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
The brief is supported by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Employment Law Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women’s Law Center, People for the American Way Foundation, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Equality California, Equality Delaware, Equality Florida, Equality New Mexico, Equality North Carolina, Garden State Equality, and One Colorado.
A full version of the brief is available at: https://seanmaloney.house.gov/sites/seanmaloney.house.gov/files/Masterpiece%20Cakeshop%20-%20Amici%20As%20Filed%20PDF.pdf