Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that the progress LGBTQ people have made in equality over the past decades is now at risk of being overturned by the Supreme Court.
The congressman pointed to Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion last month that would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade, in which the justice references decisions that expanded LGBTQ rights, such as marriage equality.
Jones told The Hill’s Julia Manchester during the “America’s Unfinished Business: An LGBTQ Summit,” hosted by The Hill for Pride Month, that if the court does overturn abortion, it won’t stop there.
“Because of the filibuster and the lack of political courage of a number of my Republican colleagues over the past couple of decades, it has been the Supreme Court of the United States that the LGBTQ community has turned to for the protection and the recognition of its rights,” Jones said.
“And we are, unfortunately, seeing that at risk, all that progress at risk of being rolled back because of this extreme majority.”
Jones, who was one of the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress alongside Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) in 2020, called for the filibuster to be reformed or eliminated to protect LGBTQ rights.
Across the country, many states have introduced and passed dozens of laws to restrict LGBTQ rights, such as limiting discussions on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools or barring transgender youth from competing in school sports.
This “patchwork system of protections” is one reason not to rely on individual states and instead pass federal laws, Jones said, though he recognized that many organizations are fighting against more progressive policies.
Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV, told CW33 contributor Ron Corning at Thursday’s summit that LGBTQ+ youth face increased rates of suicide, dropping out of school and substance abuse.
He said these trends have only been exacerbated as states pass discriminatory legislation.
“It’s a logical reaction to being taught every day that your life is literally worth less because of who you are,” Jennings said.
While some politicians continue to push anti-LGBTQ legislation, Jennings said Lambda Legal remains on the ground as a “last line of defense” as legislation in Congress remains stalled.
But Jones and Jennings both said relying on litigation to achieve public policy, which has been the case for many victories for LGBTQ Americans, is flawed because those decisions can be overturned.
Jones pointed out multiple priorities Congress could and should tackle to support the LGBTQ community, in addition to pushing forward the Equality Act, which is stalled in the 50-50 Senate.
Those policies include Medicare for All, expanding access to the medication PrEP for HIV prevention and student debt cancellation, which Jones called “an issue of LGBTQ+ justice” because those youth are less likely to have familial support for college.
“Progress must be fought for and protected. That is my commitment, and I know that is the commitment of my colleagues,” Jones said.