Monday, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of an evangelical Christian site designer who wants to avoid working on same-sex weddings due to her religious convictions.
In 2016, 38-year-old Lorie Smith sued the Colorado Civil Rights Commission due to state anti-discrimination rules prohibiting her from advertising that she will not develop websites for same-sex couples.
Smith stated, “Colorado is compelling and limiting my speech and pressing me to develop and make personalized artwork that promotes things that go against my core convictions.” “My faith is fundamental to who I am.”
The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits companies from denying the public access to their goods and services on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, and from posting notices to that effect.
Lorie Smith, a web designer, will argue before the Supreme Court as to why she should have the right to refuse to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.
Smith contends that state legislation in Centennial contradicts with her rights to free speech and refusal of commerce that conflicts with her religious views.
The married mother of one who owns the graphic design business 303 Creative LLC asserts that she had no problem working with LGBTQ customers on non-marriage-related assignments in the past.
As a devout Catholic, there have been requests for Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from the Smith case.
In 2015, the top court, which is now dominated by conservative judges, recognized homosexual marriage.
»Christian web designer asks SCOTUS to ban same-sex marriages«