FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2015

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc, issued the following statement:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is an important victory for LGBT families,” said Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc. “It will have very real impact on the day-to-day lives of LGBT couples who choose to marry by extending to them the same rights others have long enjoyed. And, as we celebrate, we must remember how much work remains ahead of us to extend full equality to LGBT people. Trans women of color still face astronomical levels of violence. LGBT youth are homeless in our streets without the social services or shelter beds they need to support them. As people of faith, we have an obligation to lend our moral authority to addressing these crises.

“People of faith also have a unique obligation to condemn the misuse of religion to attack LGBT people. In just the past few months, for example, we’ve seen a string of so-called ‘religious freedom’ bills attacking the rights of LGBT people cropping up in state legislatures across the country. Such efforts are simply hateful. We must always be ready to speak out when anyone tries to roll back the important advances our country has made to extend equality to LGBT people in the name of religion.”