Civil and Human Rights Coalition Urges Supreme Court to Rule in Favor of Marriage Equality

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on today’s U.S. Supreme Court arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, a case that is considering the question of whether states must allow and recognize marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans nationwide. The Leadership Conference submitted an amicus brief in this case in favor of marriage equality:

“Civil rights can only be measured by a single yardstick. When the government bestows inheritance rights, tax benefits, adoption rights, child custody, power of attorney, and other privileges on married individuals – but denies those same basic privileges to LGBT people – it is a blunt and injurious denial of equality and family security.

Today’s arguments remind us that basic rights, such as the freedom to love who we want, are not yet protected in this country. We urge the Court to come down on the right side of history and to rule in favor of marriage equality nationwide.”

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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