SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Members of the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters are worried about how Friday's Supreme Court ruling will affect them in the future, as well as what it could mean for other anti-discrimination laws.
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado web designer who did not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples because it would violate her free speech rights.
"There's a level of disappointment today. I think our department had been tracking this case all year, so we weren't surprised but we're always a little bit disappointed when there's potential for our community to be discriminated against or some of our rights rolled back," said Alexis Sanchez, the Director of Advocacy and Training of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center.
The Sacramento LGBT Community Center expects the ruling to have different impacts depending on which state you're in. California, much like Colorado, has anti-discrimination laws in place.
"California, in what we call the Unruh Civil Rights Act, has 18 classifications of individuals who have protection against discrimination. Whether it's age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status," said Chris Micheli, Adjunct Professor at the McGeorge School of Law. "[The ruling] puts into jeopardy those types of laws."
He says we don't know what the ruling means for certain, but wonders if there will be other similar lawsuits challenging other anti-discrimination laws.
"Where it is up against someone's alleged First Amendment rights, their view of the matter. Perhaps it's based upon their religious beliefs, for example. Will that in fact trump all other types of laws that are out there? In other words, does the First Amendment trump everything else?" said Micheli.
Meanwhile, lawmakers at the state capitol are vowing to continue protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
"Now there's a license to discriminate to a protected class. This is unacceptable, especially during the Pride Month celebrations, but reaffirms our commitment to social justice," said Evan Low, the former LGBTQ Caucus Chair.
The Sacramento LGBT Community Center says it understands there are a lot of questions and the ruling could cause a lot of worry. They want you to know their doors are open for people who want to feel safe and heard. They offer support groups and mental health therapy.
