What’s at stake in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia

Basic Rights Oregon joined with 27 other national, regional and state LGBTQ advocacy organizations in a friend-of-the-court brief which urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to upend nondiscrimination protections that would undermine equal protection guarantees under the law.

Filing in Support of the City of Philadelphia

The brief was filed in support of the City of Philadelphia in the case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in what is poised to be a landmark case on the question of whether religiously-based social welfare organizations like Catholic Social Services that receive taxpayer dollars through local government contracts can be exempt from the government’s nondiscrimination laws.

“This case has so much at stake, from the 400,000 children in foster care across the country who could lose out on loving homes, to the LGBTQ families who have the desire to foster or adopt a child but are turned away due to discrimination,” said Nancy Haque, Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon. “As a queer, Muslim mother, I feel this case deeply. Every decision I make is done in the best interests of my child, and for anyone to suggest that I cannot provide a loving home simply because of who I love or how I identify is heinous and goes against equal protections under the law.”

Far-reaching Impacts

The impact could be felt beyond foster care, as people rely on government-funded groups like Catholic Social Services to connect them with essential needs including food, housing, health care, and more. Fulton could reverse protections for the most underrepresented in our community, stripping away equal access to goods and services.

To read the friend-of-the-court brief: https://bit.ly/386HjFA

For more information on Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: https://www.glad.org/cases/fulton-v-city-of-philadelphia/