How much are LGBTQ civil rights threatened by abortion cases now before the conservative-heavy U.S. Supreme Court? Along with abortion rights, how much are our rights to marry whomever we want, have sex with whomever (consenting adult) we like, use a condom or other protection or birth control, and have gender-affirming surgery also at risk?
It seems it had been many years since our most basic rights were being debated in the Supreme Court of the United States. Not anymore. Abortion rights are under attack in a way they have not been for decades, and federal courts journalist Lisa Keen tells Out in the Bay those attacks also jeopardize LGBTQ rights.
In December, SCOTUS justices heard arguments in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health over a Mississippi law that bans abortion after just 15 weeks of pregnancy. Many legal observers believe the court’s conservative 6-3 majority could undercut the precedents set in Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Those are the 1973 and 1992 decisions, respectively, that have upheld abortion rights. How deeply are those rights threatened and what could be the domino effect on queer rights?
Keen, national politics and legal affairs correspondent for the Bay Area Reporter and other LGBTQ publications nationwide, shares her expert analysis with guest host Christopher Beale on this week’s Out in the Bay – Queer Radio + Podcast. Not only on key abortion cases, but also on cases directly attacking LGBTQ rights, including a challenge to queer-friendly books in libraries and schools.
Read Lisa Keen‘s articles on her Keen News Service website.
Please help us keep bringing LGBTQ news, voices and stories to the world by making a tax-deductible donation. Out in the Bay – Queer Radio + Podcast is a non-profit, independent production. We receive no funds from podcast platforms, NPR, nor from radio stations that air Out in the Bay weekly. We rely on listener support.
Clicking links in paragraphs above or any donate tab on our website should take you to a Media Alliance donation page with the notation: “Purpose: Support Out in the Bay.” Your gift will be earmarked for Out in the Bay, which is under Media Alliance’s 501c3 non-profit umbrella.
This week’s feature was hosted and edited by Christopher Beale; produced by Christopher Beale and Eric Jansen. Christopher J. Beale is a queer independent radio host, producer and journalist based in San Francisco. His website is christopherjbeale.com.
