Statement From Gia Drew Regarding June 2024 Supreme Court Rulings

July 3, 2024

For Immediate Release

I believe in people, and I believe in you. And despite all the turmoil, I still have faith in democracy, the constitution, and the law. I love our country, and I always have. I continue to grow in my understanding of our racist, sexist, and colonialist history and the historical and ongoing impacts of that history – and I still want to believe in freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I also feel scared for the future of our country, but more urgently, I worry for our community. The recent Supreme Court rulings that seem to flip our understanding of justice upside down have me questioning my faith in democracy.

In addition to the shocking ruling regarding presidential immunity released earlier this week – which gives the President unchecked authority to break the law while serving in that capacity – there have been several other decisions that have made me and many of you wonder who we can trust to lead us. It was heartbreaking to learn that the Supreme Court ruled that cities in the US can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside, even when they lack access to shelter. As you may know, LGBTQ+ people, particularly youth, are at a much higher risk for homelessness. This ruling puts the most vulnerable members of our community at even greater risk. The Court also overturned one of its own most important precedents: the Chevron doctrine, which for the past 40 years has guided the work of the federal agencies in critical areas of public life, from food and drug safety to environmental protection. I could go on.

As we “celebrate” July 4th this week, our experiment in democracy, now 248 years old, is being seriously tested. So I urge you to lean in and step up. These rulings are not mandates and we still have the power to decide what kind of state and country we want to live in. We must elect people who will look out for all of us, especially the most marginalized among us. 

EqualityMaine is committed to protecting and advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ Mainers. We have been doing this work for the last 40 years, and we are not backing down now. This election cycle, we will endorse pro-equality candidates across Maine. Stay up-to-date on who we support and how your elected officials voted recently on our Advocacy page. Make a donation to help us to continue doing this work. Vote on Election Day and help elect pro-equality leaders to all levels of government. This is the time to lean in like never before – to be engaged in the political process, especially at the local level, where communities are built, sustained, and people look out for each other. Together, we can continue to make Maine a state that advances civil rights, not one that strips them.

You can be the hope we need right now.

Gia