PROVIDENCE, RI  – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis that makes it legal for businesses to use religion as a sword to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people:

“I strongly disagree with this pro-discrimination ruling. 

“In America, religious liberty is protected.  But the Constitution does not grant businesses a license to discriminate against Americans based on their sexual orientation. 

“This faulty ruling turns back the clock on civil rights to an era when businesses that purported to serve the general public were allowed to discriminate against customers for all sorts of reasons.  It is a giant leap backward.

“States have public accommodation laws—statutes that prohibit businesses from discriminating against customers based on race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation—for a reason.  This ruling is likely to lead to more discrimination in the public marketplace.

“This decision is the latest in an alarming string of ideological rulings that elevate the rights of some Americans over others.  The Court should not be sanctioning discrimination in public accommodations and institutions.”