US Supreme Court Rules Christian Wedding Website Designer Can Refuse To Serve Gay Couples

The US Supreme Court ruled that an evangelical Christian wedding website designer could refuse services to a gay couple.

The Supreme Court with a conservative majority, which has previously struck down abortion rights and affirmative admissions at US universities, ruled 6-3 in favour of the  Denver-based web designer Lorie Smith and dealing a blow to LGBTQI rights in the country.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the three dissenting judges that it was a “sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people”. 

“Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class,” said Justice Sotomayor, adding, “By issuing this new license to discriminate in a case brought by a company that seeks to deny same-sex couples the full and equal enjoyment of its services, the immediate, symbolic effect of the decision is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status. In this way, the decision itself inflicts a kind of stigmatic harm, on top of any harm caused by denials of service.”

Marriage Only Between Man And Woman, Says Website Designer

The Supreme Court sided with Lorie Smith, a web designer who said she had the right to refuse services for same-sex marriages. Smith spoke about the ruling on Friday at a news conference with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group. https://t.co/bDEJcUxZiL pic.twitter.com/iMYSeGCPNS

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 30, 2023

Smith, an evangelical Christian, claimed that she believed marriage was only between a man and a woman. She sought exemption from a Colorado law that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and other protected attributes. There was no evidence that a gay couple had actually approached Smith to design a wedding website. 

The conservative judges cited First Amendment rights that protect free speech to side with Smith. 

US President Joe Biden criticised the ruling saying it would weaken “long-standing laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations – including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith and women.”

“In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love,” Biden said. 

Time To Pass An Equality Law

Lambda Legal, one of the country’s oldest legal organisations fighting for LGBTQI rights, called on the US Congress to enact a much-delayed Equality Law. 

“Today’s narrow SCOTUS’ decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis will have no bearing on the vast majority of public goods and services offered in the commercial marketplace, where discrimination against LGBTQ+ people remains rampant,” the organisation said in a statement posted to Twitter. 

“Everyone deserves to live their lives freely—including living with full protection from discrimination by businesses. The Equality Act will provide consistent, explicit nondiscrimination protections. No one should be discriminated against for who they are or whom they love.” 

“We call on Congress to send a loud and clear message to those who would use today’s decision as an excuse to turn LGBTQ+ people away from businesses and services open to the public by passing the Equality Act,” added Lambda Legal.