Stars celebrate historic LGBTQ+ Supreme Court victory

Yesterday, in a surprise ruling, the United States Supreme Court (one stacked with right-leaning Republican appointees) did the right thing and ruled that the country’s 1964 Civil Rights Act does apply to members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In doing so, the court went against efforts by the Trump administration to remove protections from vulnerable groups, especially transgender people who have already been prohibited from military service and denied access to medical care.Cue: a massive social media celebration by celebs both inside and outside the community. Orange is the New Black star and trans activist Laverne Cox spoke about the decision in a live interview with NBC News, expressing her shock and elation over the Supreme Court’s historic 6-3 decision.

“What it reaffirms to me is that everyday people, average everyday people like everyone out there watching, can make a difference.”@Lavernecox reacts to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision

Watch NOW: https://t.co/U4UZMHn7bF pic.twitter.com/cx7cFQOQzG— NBC News NOW (@NBCNewsNow) June 15, 2020

RuPaul’s Drag Race competitor Peppermint spelled it out for anyone who didn’t already know how epic the ruling is. Her tweet followed her Season 9 sister Shea Couleé’s viral speech at a Chicago rally dubbed Drag March For Change, in which Couleé made it clear that ALL Black lives matter.

What the decision means... that lgbtqi persons are a PROTECTED class. And job discrimination based on this is illegal. That is a brilliant thing ( this is how it WAS. but THEY were trying to delete it) the court ( America) said NOPE! ❤️?????????

— Peppermint (@Peppermint247) June 15, 2020

Jonathan Van Ness celebrated the ruling with his trademark infectious four-letter-infused glee (while later calling out the court for refusing to reexamine the law that give police “qualified immunity.”)

Fuck yes Supreme Court ?

— Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) June 15, 2020

Kerry Washington, who championed the #AllBlackLivesMatter march in LA that brought 35,000 Angelinos into the centre of the city to demonstrate, also tweeted her support for the SCOTUS decision.

❤️????????? https://t.co/zLmn8U9KVl

— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) June 15, 2020

Taylor Swift praised the hard work of advocates who fought for the ruling in the face of Donald Trump’s determined efforts to stop the original Civil Rights era law from being applied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

YES!! Thank you to the Supreme Court Justices who voted in favor and all the advocates who have fought so hard for this! We still have a long way to go to reach equality, but this is a beautiful step forward. ?❤️?????? https://t.co/zTd3i5P2TL

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 15, 2020

Sex and the City’s TV lawyer Cynthia Nixon also celebrated the ruling, thanking the legal forces who fought hard for their clients.

HUGE VICTORY FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS!!!

Happy Pride Everybody -- the Supreme Court has decided LGBTQ people can sue for workplace bias.⚖️Thank you to @LambdaLegal, @ACLU, @chaifeldblum, trans leaders and litigants. https://t.co/CFMuikumxy— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) June 15, 2020

And Star Trek’s George Takei offered up a valuable history lesson to his followers about the history of the LGBTQ+ community’s fight for equality, pointing out that the ruling is another significant step forward following decades of advocacy work.

The LGBTQ civil rights movement began 51 years ago with the Stonewall Riots, led by trans POC heroes. Today we mark another milestone in our struggle for equality with a victory in the Supreme Court, extending Title VII nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQs.

O happy day!— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 15, 2020

Mandy Moore, Selena Gomez, Ellen DeGeneres, Bobby Berk, Bette Midler, and other stars also celebrated the ruling, which was brought in front of the court by trans woman Aimee Stephens. Stephens, who died in May, lost her job back in 2013 when she informed her coworkers that she would be undergoing gender reassignment surgery.GLAAD, an organization that’s been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights since 1985, summed up Stephens’ fight in their tweet about the ruling, writing: “The Supreme Court’s historic decision affirms what shouldn’t have even been a debate: LGBTQ Americans should be able to work without fear of losing jobs because of who we are.”[video_embed id='1977788']BEFORE YOU GO: Sasha Exeter, Jessica Mulroney and white privilege[/video_embed]