Andrew Schneider: LGBTQ in WV, be concerned about Gorsuch (WV Gazette-Mail)
Andrew Schneider: LGBTQ in WV, be concerned about Gorsuch (Gazette)
By Andrew Schneider March 22, 2017
As the executive director of Fairness West Virginia, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights advocacy organization, I work every day to make concepts like equal opportunity and dignity under the law “real” for the 46,000 LGBTQ people living in this state.
As I think about the critical issues facing the LGBTQ community and all West Virginians — from workplace discrimination and safe schools to good jobs and the mental health of our young people — I’m looking for judges and justices who share my commitment to our core constitutional values to guide our democracy through trying times. I have deep concerns that President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who the Senate is holding hearings on this week, views the Constitution in a manner that may cause the court to roll back civil rights for LGBTQ Americans.
When it comes to fairness and equality, Gorsuch’s record is troubling. As a lawyer, scholar and judge, he has positioned himself as an obstacle to justice and fairness for those seeking relief in court — including LGBTQ people seeking nothing more than the chance to live their lives in peace. It’s because of this reason that I urge Senators Manchin and Capito to vote against Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the court.