LGBT Activists Slam SCOTUS Ruling on Trump's Muslim Ban

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Trump Administration's ban on immigrants and refugees from seven countries, five of which are predominantly Muslim, LGBT advocacy groups expressed anger and shock.

"This is a dark day for the United States, as shameful as the internment of Japanese-Americans and the doors slammed shut to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany," Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven said in a statement, "President Trump's Muslim ban has already done immense harm to thousands of people, some trying to flee violence, others cruelly separated from their families, and it's heartbreaking that the Supreme Court did not put an end to this injustice."

Lambda Legal joined a friend-of-the-court brief to dispute the ban. They also were instrumental in the recent cakeshop case, in which the Supreme Court ruled a Colorado baker could refuse service to a gay couple. The decision found that those who found the baker's actions bigoted were insensitive towards his religious beliefs.

"This month the Court expressed deep concern about the slightest perceived animosity toward a Christian baker, but today is untroubled by the President of the United States singling out Muslims for unequal treatment," noted Tiven, "This is more than hypocritical; it threatens the foundation of bedrock American principles that government cannot show favor or disfavor to any religion. As a queer woman and a Jew, I am outraged and frightened."

The Human Rights Campaign shared the sentiment that the decision failed to acknowledge that the ban targets Muslims for their religion.

"We are disappointed that the Supreme Court has chosen to uphold what is clearly a xenophobic effort that scapegoats persons of a particular faith, threatens the safety of human beings seeking refuge, encourages violence and discrimination against Muslim Americans," said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow, stating the ban "undermines civil liberties in this country" and "does nothing to keep all Americans safer."

Right after the news broke, Lambda Legal ran to the Supreme Court to protest the decision. They were joined by the LGBTQ Task Force, which also condemned the decision.

"We will continue to resist all efforts to criminalize Muslim people and manipulate public perceptions about Islam," said Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart, the Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. "Make no mistake this ruling will be viewed by history as one of the court's most heinous decisions," added Deputy Executive Director Kierra Johnson.

It seems the entire LGBT activist community is standing up against the travel ban. "Our unified communities will stand together in firm opposition to this abjectly un-American ruling," said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO.

Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization had a similar message. "Our LGBTQ community is diverse -- we are women and men, intersex and nonbinary. We are Muslims and Christians and Jews and nonbelievers. Most importantly, we are united in the belief that an attack on any of us is an attack on all of us," said Executive Director Rick Zbur in a statement.

The group also acknowledged that a single justice was the difference in stopping the travel ban as well as "ending the lies at fake reproductive health centers and letting them off the hook for their dangerous and deceptive practices that do real harm to people seeking reproductive care," referencing the other Supreme Court decision today, which sided with California anti-abortion pregnancy centers that claimed they had a right to not disclose their intentions.

"The LGBT community knows what it's like to be red meat for a demagogue's base. Future generations will ask us what we did to object," asserted Tiven, "We stand in solidarity with our Muslim family - straight and gay - and pledge our continued support to fight the ban and the stigma, discrimination, and violence it helps encourage."