Boston, June 15, 2020 — Idit Klein, President and CEO of Keshet, issued the following statement regarding recent Supreme Court and Trump Administration decisions relating to LGBTQ rights:

We are thrilled and relieved by the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark legal victory for LGBTQ workers. The decision that companies cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace is a triumph for LGBTQ Americans — especially those who experience a range of threats and fears related to their livelihoods.

As we celebrate this national victory, we are continuing to fight for the rights and dignity of LGBTQ people in other arenas, including healthcare. On June 12th, the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, the Trump administration announced a rule change that would allow healthcare providers and health insurance companies to deny care to transgender Americans. We condemn the Trump administration’s hateful and heartless attempt to permit discrimination in healthcare on the basis of gender identity and expression, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. The President cannot simply rewrite laws passed by Congress nor can he overrule the Supreme Court. We urge our community members to ask their health insurance companies to immediately issue directives that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Jewish tradition teaches that we must always balance celebration with an awareness of what remains broken. As we celebrate the landmark victory for LGBTQ workers, we know that we must continue to fight for a world in which LGBTQ individuals are treated with dignity, respect, and equality in every facet of their lives.

About Keshet: Keshet works for the full equality of LGBTQ Jews in Jewish life. We equip Jewish organizations with the tools to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces for queer Jewish teens to feel valued as queer and Jewish, and mobilize the Jewish community to fight for LGBTQ justice nationwide. keshetonline.org