Advancement Project Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Marriage Equality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              Contact: Cynthia Gordy, 718-755-4340
April 28, 2015                                                                      Email: cgordy@advancementproject.org

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Supreme is hearing oral arguments on a marriage equality case, in which the justices will decide whether bans on gay marriage violate the Constitution. In response to this landmark case, Advancement Project released the following statement:

“The denial of marriage equality has served no purpose but to disadvantage, separate status and stigmatize, and we hope the Supreme Court will rule on the side of equality,” said Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Browne Dianis. “This case is important not only for so many same-sex couples who deserve recognition and protection; it is an opportunity to bring positive momentum toward progress for all.”

“In the face of states that continue to aggressively roll back the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans, the Supreme Court must affirm the Constitution’s guarantee that all are created equal,” said Penda D. Hair, Advancement Project Co-Director. “We encourage the justices to finally make marriage equality the law of the land, moving our nation toward a more just democracy.”
 
“As a multiracial, next-generation civil rights organization, Advancement Project is committed to ensuring equal access to all people of the basic rights of our democracy,” said John Kim, executive director of Advancement Project’s California office. “Marriage equality is a fundamental right that should be extended to our lesbian and gay fellow Americans. With the increasing number of people who support the ability of couples who love each other to join their lives, and create strong families that contribute to our collective societal health, there is no excuse to continue to deny this right.”

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Advancement Project is a multiracial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.