On Monday, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of an evangelical Christian web designer who refused to work at same-sex weddings because of his religious beliefs.
Lori Smith, 38, sued the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in 2016 over state anti-discrimination laws that bar her from advertising that she doesn’t create websites for same-sex couples.
“Colorado is coercing and censoring my speech and forcing me to design and create custom artwork that celebrates messages that conflict with my deeply held beliefs,” Smith said. “My faith is the foundation of who I am.”
Under Colorado’s anti-discrimination law, businesses are not allowed to exclude the public from their goods and services based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, nor can they post notices about it.
Smith argued that Centennial’s state law infringed on his rights to free speech and to refuse to engage in business that conflicts with his religious beliefs.
The married mother of one, who owns a graphic design firm, 303 Creative LLC, says she has no problem working with LGBTQ clients on other non-marital projects and has done so in the past.
It was Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney urges Barrett’s recusal from Smith’s work as a devout Catholic himself.
The Supreme Court — now majority conservative — legalized gay marriage in 2015.
With post wires