Bishop Budde and Dean Hollerith: Today Is a Day to Celebrate

The following statement was released by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral: 

Thanks to two rulings from the United States Supreme Court, millions of people in our land received news for which they long hoped and prayed and worked so hard to achieve.

On Monday June 15, the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ persons are now fully protected from workplace discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. No longer is it legal anywhere in this country to terminate someone’s employment simply for being gay or transgender. 

Today, June 18, the Court ruled that young adult immigrants known as Dreamers, brought to this country as children, need not worry that the federal government can revoke their legal status under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Dreamers can keep their jobs and remain in school, and sleep at night knowing they are welcome and free of the fear of deportation in the only country they have called home.   

We give thanks to God for these rulings and for all those who have dedicated their lives to ensuring the legal rights and status of those previously marginalized in this country. We are a better nation when we recognize the full humanity and the gifts of all our people. We must always remember that each person is a beloved child of God and made in the image and likeness of God — no matter who they are, who they love or where they were born. 

While we give thanks for these rulings, events of the recent months make clear that our work for equity and justice continues. We celebrate and carry on.