“Nevertheless, while those religious and philosophical objections are protected, it is a general rule that such objections do not allow business owners and other actors in the economy and in society to deny protected persons equal access to goods and services under a neutral and generally applicable public accommodations law.” — Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
“This
case was never about cake, it’s about whether religion, or speech that
has a religious viewpoint, can override longstanding anti-discrimination
laws that have been put in place to prohibit the egregious bigotry
business owners historically have displayed towards people of color,
women, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people,” stated Candace
Bond-Theriault, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Senior Policy Counsel,
Reproductive Health, Rights & Justice and author of the Task Force’s
Amicus brief.
“At
the end of the day, discrimination is wrong and the Supreme Court held
up that view,” Carey stated. “Today’s narrow decision, while
disappointing, has to do with the specifics of this particular case. The
fight for full equality continues, and this reminds us we must always
be vigilant.”