Politics & Government
Rally Against Gay Wedding Cake Ruling In Maplewood-South Orange
Residents and LGBTQ activists in Maplewood and South Orange will hold a rally against the Masterpiece Cake SCOTUS decision on June 4.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Activists and residents in Maplewood and South Orange, along with SOMA Action, Garden State Equality, North Jersey Pride and ACLU NJ, plan to hold a “Day of Decision” rally on the steps of Maplewood Town Hall in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Masterpiece Cake shop case.
The rally will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 4 at Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley Street. Learn more about the event here.
The United States Supreme Court on Monday issued a 7-2 ruling in favor of a baker in Lakewood, Colorado who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple on religious grounds. The opinion emphasized the baker's right to free speech, as artistically manifested in cake design.
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- See related article: Gay Wedding Cake Case: US Supreme Court Sides With CO Baker
Organizers released the following statement about the rally on Monday afternoon:
“This morning the Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of a wedding cake baker who refused to make a cake for the weeding of a same-sex couple based on religion and First Amendment freedoms. Please join us as we gather as a community - faith leaders, business district leaders, elected officials, social justice advocates, neighbors and friends near and far - to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ equal treatment AND in support of public accommodation of ALL.
Maplewood Township Committeeman Dean Dafis, the first openly LGBTQ member, said that the SCOTUS decision discriminated against a LGBTQ family, but that the Maplewood and South Orange community will remain vigilant in its fight for “full equality at the federal level, for open-to-all full public accommodation, and against so-called religious licenses to discriminate against any minority or vulnerable community.”
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The rally will come a day on the heels of the SOMA Equality March 2018, which took place on Sunday as part of Pride Month.
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