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Post Supreme Court ruling, Colo. anti-discrimination law will be tested in new ways

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

Colorado lawmakers expect new legal challenges that will test the state's anti-discrimination laws - this after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed a web designer from Colorado to refuse her services to gay couples. Colorado Public Radio's Allison Sherry reports.

ALLISON SHERRY, BYLINE: Lorie Smith sued the state because she wanted to start making wedding websites, but not for gay weddings. State anti-discrimination laws say she can't make that distinction. The high court disagreed, saying a creative business can't be forced to craft messages they don't believe in. Smith says the case wasn't about who she would or wouldn't work for, but what she was being asked to say.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LORIE SMITH: And today's ruling affirmed that the government cannot force anyone to say something they don't believe.

PHIL WEISER: Historically, in Colorado, for over 100 years, if you're a business and you open up your doors, you have to serve everybody.

SHERRY: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.

WEISER: Now we have this exception. People may take advantage of this exception.

SHERRY: Weiser, whose office defended Colorado's anti-discrimination laws before the high court, says its decision creates a big loophole nationwide. He says there's nothing immediately to be done legally, but he's watching out for businesses that may use the Supreme Court decision as an excuse to discriminate against anyone. A problem, Weiser says, is that the court didn't exactly define what a creative business is.

WEISER: It could be a photographer who says I won't photograph women because I don't believe they should work or a religious bookseller who says I won't sell to one religious group 'cause I don't think they're a real religion. Those cases will have to get determined. Ultimately, I don't believe this ruling is sustainable. I don't believe it's justified. So I believe it will be overturned eventually.

SHERRY: At a recent press conference, Shara Smith says when she first read the high court decision, she thought it was bad for LGBTQ populations and then thought as a Black woman and head of Colorado's Interfaith Alliance that the decision is bad for her too.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHARA SMITH: It's also bad for people of color, for immigrants, for marginalized groups, for all of us, because this decision allows businesses to use free speech in order to turn away customers they would rather not serve.

SHERRY: Legal experts expect civil lawsuits across the country as states grapple with whether a business qualifies as creative enough to turn away clients for free speech reasons or whether they're just plain discriminating, which is still technically against the law.

For NPR News, I'm Alison Sherry in Denver.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Allison Sherry

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.