Boston, MA, November 18, 2003… The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the Supreme Judicial Court's (SJC) decision recognizing that all citizens are entitled to the same rights, protections and benefits, regardless of sexual orientation. 

In welcoming this decision, Ginny McDowell, ADL New England Regional Board Chair, and Robert Leikind, ADL Regional Director, issued the following statement:

We applaud this decision which recognizes that all citizens are entitled to the same rights, protections and benefits, regardless of sexual orientation as well as race, religion, gender, and ethnicity.  The Supreme Judicial Court has moved Massachusetts, indeed all of America, closer to a society where government sanctioned discrimination against any group, including gays and lesbians, is no longer enshrined in the law.  We urge the Legislature to act intently, in line with the SJC's ruling.

Government has a responsibility to safeguard the rights of all citizens. At the same time, we are pleased that this decision leaves untouched the important right of religious communities to decide for themselves what relationships they will recognize.