Denver, CO – One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans and their families issued the following statements in response to the Supreme Court announcement to hear 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis next term:

“We are a diverse society, and many business owners—and their customers—are people of different faiths.  Just because a business serves a customer doesn’t mean they share or endorse everything that customer believes in.  The best way to respect those differences is to ensure that all Coloradans are able to go about our day-to-day lives free from discrimination. Businesses that open their doors to the public should be open to everyone on the same terms.”

‍– Nadine Bridges, MSW (she/her), One Colorado Executive Director

“A decision by the Supreme Court allowing discrimination would have implications for our country that reach far beyond LGBTQ people. It could threaten our longstanding anti-discrimination protections. Coloradans have shown time and again that our state is open to all and these efforts do not represent our values.”

‍– Garrett Royer (he/him), One Colorado Deputy Director

Next term, the Supreme Court will review Colorado law and ask the question of whether our law violates the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. Colorado state laws ensure all Coloradans can live free from discrimination. Imagine being turned away from a place of business simply because of who you are – the embarrassment, confusion, and fear. Currently, Colorado is one of a number of states that protects LGBTQ people from this type of discrimination, but those rights are under attack. If the Supreme Court carves out an exemption to anti-discrimination laws for “creative” businesses, any business owner that provides custom services or products could claim a right to violate anti-discrimination laws as they apply to others, not just LGBTQ people.