Tag Archives: public accommodations

USA Today reports: Days after the Supreme Court’s ruling that businesses can deny same-sex wedding services if it clashes with their religious views, new data says most American voters disagree with that position. Last week, the nation’s high court sided with a Colorado business owner who argued a state non-discrimination law could not compel her to make same-sex websites. The …

NBC News reports: A conservative evangelical Christian who opposes same-sex marriage and runs a business in Colorado designing websites, including for nuptials, Lorie Smith sued the state because she would like to accept customers planning opposite-sex weddings but reject requests made by same-sex couples wanting the same service. Smith has not been sanctioned for refusing to design such a website …

Bridge Michigan reports: Michigan businesses cannot fire employees or discriminate against customers because of their sexual orientation, the state Supreme Court ruled in a closely watched case that will greatly expand civil rights protections. In a 5-2 ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court held that discrimination based on sexual orientation is already prohibited under the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which …

The Associated Press reports: The state of Oregon has slashed the financial penalties it assigned a baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple almost 10 years ago. In compliance with a state appeals court ruling earlier this year, State Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle said Tuesday that the Bureau of Labor and Industries is ordering Aaron …

The Oregonian reports: The Oregon Court of Appeals for a second time Wednesday upheld a ruling by the state civil rights division that found that a Gresham bakery illegally discriminated against a same-sex couple by refusing to sell them a wedding cake in 2013. However, the court found that the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did not exhibit religious …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. Department of Justice has weighed in on a lawsuit filed by a Kentucky wedding photographer who is challenging a city ordinance banning businesses from discriminating against gay customers. The Justice Department filed a “statement of interest” this week in federal court saying that the photographer, Chelsey Nelson, is likely to succeed on her claim. …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: After obtaining a perfunctory decision last year in her favor, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Washington State is back before the U.S. Supreme Court with a renewed call for a First Amendment ruling allowing her to refuse service to same-sex couples seeking floral arrangements for their weddings. In her 41-page petition for …

Just out from PRRI Polling: Three in ten (30%) Americans say they think it should be permissible for a small business owner in their state to refuse to provide services to gay or lesbian people if doing so violates their religious beliefs, while two-thirds (67%) say they should not be allowed to do so. Support for religiously based service refusals …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court declined Monday to decide whether an Oregon baker can refuse on religious grounds to design a cake for a same-sex wedding – a question it carefully sidestepped last year. The case would have given the court’s conservative majority the chance to expand upon its narrow 2018 ruling in favor of a Colorado baker. That …

Reuters reports: Almost half of all Americans incorrectly believe that federal law protects lesbian, gay and bisexual people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released this week. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 45% of respondents believed federal anti-discrimination protections already exist for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, including 40% of those aged …

CBS News St. Louis reports: A St. Charles County couple says an O’Fallon, Mo. restaurant refused to host their rehearsal dinner after learning of their sexual orientation. Mindy Rackley and Kendall Brown are getting married on June 15. They planned to host a rehearsal dinner two days prior at Madison’s Café. Kendall said she was speaking with someone at the …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, Lambda Legal announced the Central District of California entered judgment for Nikko Briteramos against the owner of a Los Angeles barbershop who refused to cut Briteramos’ hair because he is living with HIV. CUT THE STIGMA, a joint public education campaign launched last year by the Black AIDS Institute and Lambda Legal, will …

Penn Live reports: Few central Pennsylvania destinations are as iconic as the Star Barn. The historic structure – part of Stone Gables Estate – sits on a sprawling 275-acre scenic tract in Elizabethtown, surrounded by farmland, an orchard and vineyard. It has become a premier wedding destination. Now, just in time for wedding season, the landmark venue is at the …

The Tennessean reports: A bill opposed by LGBTQ advocates that would prevent state or local government entities in Tennessee from discriminating against a business based on the company’s internal policies has advanced in the House. House Bill 563, sponsored by Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville [photo], passed in the House on a 68-22 vote. The legislation seeks to prohibit the state …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced it has refused to hear the case of a Hawaii bed and breakfast that sought to refuse service to same-sex couples out of religious objections. The high court indicated it had denied certiorari to Aloha Bed & Breakfast, or refused to take up its case, in …

From the Public Religion Research Institute: Amid our currently polarized political climate, a new PRRI survey shows that majorities of Americans across virtually all demographic groups and geographical locations support laws protecting LGBT people. Support for nondiscrimination protections enjoys broad support across the political spectrum. Majorities of Democrats (79%), independents (70%), and Republicans (56%) say they favor laws that would …

The Denver Post reports: Litigation between the owner of Lakewood’s Masterpiece Cakeshop and the state will end after the baker agreed to drop his lawsuit alleging the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was harassing him for refusing to make cakes with LGBTQ themes in exchange for the commission dropping its own actions against him. “After careful consideration of the facts, both …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: A family-owned bakery declined to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple over the weekend, citing the “spiritual conviction” of the owner. The bakery, Susie’s Sweets, lists its location on its Facebook page as Burns, in Dickson County. The shop’s owner is Susie Dennison. An initial account of the denial was posted on the Hip …

The BBC reports: The Christian owners of a Northern Ireland bakery have won their appeal in the so-called “gay cake” discrimination case. The UK’s highest court ruled that Ashers bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The five justices on the Supreme Court were unanimous in their judgement. The high-profile dispute began …

The Denver Post reports: The owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop has sued Gov. John Hickenlooper and state civil rights officials, claiming Colorado has renewed its religious persecution by investigating him — in defiance of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision — for refusing to create a cake commemorating gender transition. Jack Phillips of Lakewood brought the lawsuit late Tuesday night in …