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The recent rulings by the Supreme Court mean that now, more than ever, LGBTQ+ people and their allies must stand up for their rightsBen Finzel is president of RENEWPR, an LGBTQ-owned communications firm in Washington, D.C. He is also a managing partner in The Change Agencies, the national network of multicultural and LGBTQ-owned and operated communications firms.
Despite the celebrations of Pride Month, this past week has been depressing and downright scary for the tens of millions of Americans who believe in equality and freedom. Supreme Court rulings ending affirmative action and enshrining LGBTQ+ discrimination into law felt like gut punches – and they portend a frightening future.
To be clear, these rulings don’t just affect “some” people, they affect everyone.
The rulings in the affirmative action cases mean that all kinds of corporate, organizational or government efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion may now be shut down. And the ruling in the LGBTQ+ wedding website case means that anyone can claim that they don't want to serve certain people for any number of reasons, including race, gender, religion and other individual characteristics.
These rulings were widely expected, but now that they are reality, the question is what we do next.
All hope is not lost. But we’re going to have to redouble our efforts to explain why equality is not always given and how laws help enforce rights. We must actively engage in our democracy if we are to keep it.
March on Washington co-organizer (and gay man) Bayard Rustin once said: “If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.” In this moment, that means we must use the levers of democracy to remind others of the need for laws and the impact they have on protecting the rights of everyone, not just people of color seeking higher education or LGBTQ+ people seeking services from vendors.
The levers of democracy we must use now include a free press, free speech, a freely elected government, and a free judiciary (although many doubt that given recent history). Here’s a starting point for utilizing them:
• Free press – We must hold companies accountable for their support of the politicians who block attempts to enshrine equality into law and who vote to put biased judges on the bench. That means calling companies out and refusing to turn a blind eye because they slap a rainbow or Juneteenth message on their website with one hand while writing checks to anti-equality politicians with the other.
• Free speech – We must call out discrimination when we see it, and not just when it directly affects us. As my friend Jonathan Lovitz reminded us during a Museum of Public Relations Pride Month event a few weeks ago: “It shouldn’t have to happen to you to matter to you.” That means we need allies now more than ever: this can’t just be about LGBTQ+ people and people of color speaking out – everyone who believes in freedom and equality must lift their voices too.
• Freely elected government – We must pay attention to how our elected officials vote and hold anti-equality politicians accountable. That means participating in democracy and voting in every election and it means actively supporting politicians who support equality and opposing those who don’t.
• Free judiciary – We must seek to use the full force of the law to go after discrimination. We can’t just give up because it feels like the highest court in the land is corrupt. That means filing court cases, signing on to amicus briefs and yes, voting, so that our courts aren’t influenced by anti-equality politicians.
For the tens of millions of us who care about equality, the time has come to raise our voices, not just in protest, but in action. Black lesbian poet Audre Lorde warned us that, “Your silence will not protect you.” Our voices – all of them – are needed now more than ever before. Let’s use them.
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