On June 4, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple on religious grounds.
For Friday’s Behind the Headlines, St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh talked to Webster University legal studies professor Anne Geraghty-Rathert about the implications of that decision and what it may or may not mean for the rights of same-sex couples.
Geraghty-Rathert said many are misinterpreting the court’s decision, thinking it allows for any company to refuse doing business with LGBTQ people.
“When you hear that one side won … you sort of assume that all of their arguments are on the winning side,” Geraghty-Rathert said. “You might assume there is a religious exception to anti-discrimination laws.”
But she emphasized that is not the case.
“All we can really get out of this case is that the government cannot show hostility toward anyone’s serious beliefs and can’t dismiss them or consider them to be contextual even,” Geraghty-Rathert added.
Listen to the full analysis of the Supreme Court’s decision:
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Caitlin Lally give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
