FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 15, 2020
Contact: Brayden Misiolek, brayden@transcendthebinary.org
Transcend the Binary Responds to SCOTUS Decision Affirming LGBTQ+ Rights in Employment
FERNDALE, Mich. – Brayden Misiolek, co-founder of Transcend the Binary, has issued the following statement regarding today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court affirming discrimination against LGBTQ persons as unconstitutional:
“Today’s news from the U.S. Supreme Court brings us some comfort during a tumultuous, concerning time for our nation. At the end of the day, we believe everyone deserves the ability to earn fair, livable wages; to secure a roof over their head in a safe place; to have food in their stomachs; and to have access to inclusive, affirming health care.
“We are grateful for an outcome that honors the lives and legacies of those we’ve lost, including Aimee Stephens, whose courage, resilience and tenacity in seeking justice surely deserve a place in history. Yet, we know too many others – including Tony McDade, Dominique Fells, Riah Milton, and Nina Pop, most recently – whose lives were taken from them and thus, their stories of greatness yet to be realized.
“Change must occur across many institutions and demands a certain responsibility of all to do our part, whether we are part of a marginalized community or simply an ally. The Trump administration has shown clearly it will do anything and everything it can to dismantle progress, so with today’s victory comes a challenge to continue to be present and stand up for one another. Our late co-founder, Darnell Jones, RPh, once said that being an ally or changemaker comes not from doing something because it affects us personally, but because it is affecting others and everyone deserves equality. It is in that spirit that our fight will continue.”
Transcend the Binary was one of 33 organizations to lend its support to Aimee Stephens’ case.
Transcend the Binary is a nonprofit that seeks to empower the trans and gender-diverse community through access to affirming health care, resources, research and education. It is based out of Affirmations, a community center in Ferndale, Michigan. For more information, visit www.transcendthebinary.org.