President Biden expressed concern over the Supreme Court's decision supporting a Christian web designer's refusal to create websites for same-sex weddings, citing potential discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community. He called on Congress to pass the Equality Act to strengthen protections for LGBTQI+ individuals and reinforce public accommodation laws for all.
The President believes this ruling could lead to increased discrimination and erode existing laws safeguarding against discrimination based on various factors, including race, religion, disability, and gender. He affirmed his administration's commitment to upholding anti-discrimination laws and collaborating with states to counteract efforts to reverse civil rights advancements.
President Biden voiced apprehension that the Supreme Court's decision could potentially encourage discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The 6-3 Supreme Court ruling affirmed web designer Lorie Smith's right to decline creating websites for same-sex marriages, asserting that compelling her to do so would infringe upon her freedom of speech and religious convictions, notwithstanding Colorado's anti-discrimination law based on sexual orientation.
The Supreme Court sided with a web designer who argued against being compelled to create websites for LGBTQI+ individuals. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Court's decision overturned a lower court's ruling against Smith, who maintained that the law violated her First Amendment rights by requiring her to endorse messages contradicting her deeply held beliefs.
Justice Neil Gorsuch's majority opinion emphasized that tolerance, not coercion, is the American approach, and the First Amendment guarantees freedom of thought and expression without government mandates. He argued that Colorado's law infringed upon this promise.
Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor held contrasting perspectives on the case. (Getty Images)
Dissenting Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, criticized the ruling as granting permission to discriminate and relegating gays and lesbians to second-class status. She argued against the creation of social castes in a free and democratic society, emphasizing the importance of public accommodation laws in ensuring equal treatment for all.
Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News.
