WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination began today, Family Equality Council continued a tradition of elevating the voices of LGBTQ families by welcoming the Aaron-Brush family from Alabama to the U.S. Capitol to speak out about what’s at stake for the LGBTQ community. After spending the day meeting with their elected officials and speaking to media, April and Ginger Aaron-Brush and their daughter Avery spoke outside the Capitol at the #StopKavanaugh Rally. These are excerpts from April and Ginger’s remarks on stage:
“Kavanaugh’s nomination could have devastating consequences on our family and families like our own. Anti-gay discrimination hurts our families. It hurts our kids. Children have been turned away from emergency medical services and they have been rejected from day care centers simply because their parents are gay. Lesbian couples have been rejected by midwives, and even left on the side of the road with their children by a taxi driver who saw them kiss.”
“Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s last nominee, said he would support precedent – then turned around and wrote a dissent arguing Arkansas could keep a married lesbian mom off her child’s birth certificate, even though the Obergefell marriage equality decision specifically included birth certificates. We cannot afford another extremist nominee. Our families can’t afford it. Our kids can’t afford it.”
April and Ginger’s daughter 11-year-old Avery concluded by explaining:
“I deserve a court that will ensure democracy that is deeply rooted in liberty, justice, and true equality. I deserve a Supreme Court justice that will not stop the progress that has been made toward legal equality for families like my own. I, and every child of gay and lesbian parents, should never have to fear anything less than full family equality … not today, not tomorrow … not ever.”
Family Equality Council continues to strongly oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination. Kavanaugh is not a fair-minded and neutral jurist who will hear cases and issue rulings with impartiality. To the contrary, his record indicates that he would undercut the rights of the LGBTQ community, uphold anti-LGBTQ discrimination, and allow President Trump’s anti-LGBTQ agenda to withstand judicial scrutiny.
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council advances legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. Family Equality Council believes every LGBTQ person should have the right and opportunity to form and sustain a loving family, regardless of who they are or where they live. Learn more at familyequality.org.
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