The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments Monday in the case of an evangelical Christian web designer who is seeking to refuse working on same-sex weddings based on her religious beliefs.
Lorie Smith, 38, sued the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in 2016 over state anti-discrimination laws barring her from advertising that she won’t create websites for couples of the same sex.
“Colorado is compelling and censoring my speech and forcing me to design and create custom artwork that celebrates messages that go against my deeply held beliefs,” Smith said. “My faith is at the core of who I am.”
Under Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act, businesses are not allowed to deny the public their goods and services based on race, gender, sexual orientation and religion and they can’t post notices doing so either.
Smith argues Centennial State law clashes with her rights to free speech and to refuse business that conflicts with her religious beliefs.
The married mother of one — who owns graphic design firm 303 Creative LLC — maintains she has no issue working with LGBTQ clients on other projects that don’t involve marriage and has done so in the past.
There have been calls for Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from Smith’s case as a devout Catholic.
The high court — which currently has a majority of conservative judges — legalized gay marriage in 2015.
With Post wires
The post SCOTUS hears Christian web designer’s bid to refuse same-sex weddings appeared first on New York Post.
