Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Allison Rushing to serve a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Rushing began her career as a legal intern for the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ hate group, and has maintained her relationship with the group in the years since she worked there. In response to today’s confirmation, DNC LGBTQ Media Director Lucas Acosta issued the following statement:

“Today, Senate Republicans confirmed one of the most anti-LGBTQ nominees in history. LGBTQ people are right to be concerned that Allison Rushing will be unable to provide fair and impartial judgment to all those that come before her given her previous employment at the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has advocated for re-criminalizing homosexuality and has even defended state-sanctioned sterilization of transgender people abroad.

“By continuing to promote people like Allison Rushing, who hold dangerous and out-of-touch views about the LGBTQ community, this administration clearly demonstrates that their goal of decriminalizing homosexuality across the world is just empty rhetoric.

“Every Republican Senator must be held accountable for this dangerous appointment to the Fourth Circuit. Democrats stood united against Rushing’s appointment, and we will continue to speak out against hate.”