Zack Sharf Digital News Director Sheryl Crow is one of the more high-profile names calling out country music star Jason Aldean after he dropped the controversial music video for his song “Try That in a Small Town.” Aldean shot the clip in front of a courthouse in Colombia, Tenn., where a Black man was lynched in the 1920s. The lyrics of the song have widely been accused of being pro-gun and pro-violence, but Aldean has denied those claims. “I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” Crow wrote on Twitter in a message aimed at Aldean’s account. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”
Supreme Court Rules Web Designer Can Refuse Services To Same-Sex Weddings; Activists See Ruling As Setback To LGBTQ Rights
30.06.2023 - 15:39 / deadline.com
The Supreme Court ruled that a website designer could refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, despite a Colorado non-discrimination law.
The court ruled that the designer was within First Amendment rights to refuse such services, but activists said the decision was a setback for LGBTQ rights.
“This is a dangerous step backward and gives some businesses the license to discriminate,” The Human Rights Campaign said in a statement.
In the ruling (read it here), the court was split 6-3 along ideological lines.
The case involved a website designer, Lorie Smith, who wanted to expand her graphic design business to couples seeking wedding websites. Worried that she would be challenged if she refused to create sites for same-sex couples, she filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to prevent Colorado from enforcing a statute barring discrimination in public accommodation, including discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, in the majority opinion, wrote, “In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual tospeak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance.”
He added that “abiding the Constitution’s commitment to the freedom of speech means all of us will encounter ideas we consider ‘unattractive’ … ‘misguided, or even hurtful.’ But tolerance, not coercion, is our Nation’s answer. The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands.”
In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grantsa business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected
Supreme Court Roundup
The only thing worse than a bad ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court is a bad ruling that sets up the prospect that the worst is yet to come.
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Majority of Registered Voters Oppose Refusing Service to LGBTQ People
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Kevin Spacey Trial Latest: Alleged Victim “Woke To Find Actor Performing Sex Act On Him,” Court Hears
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How much do last-minute tickets to see Beyoncé in Toronto cost?
the Queen has finally landed on North American soil.After an extended international leg of the ‘Renaissance Tour,’ Beyoncé is kicking off her first shows in Canada at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9.And Beyhive, we found last-minute prices that don’t sting.At the time of publication, we spotted tickets going for as low as $127 USD before fees on Vivid Seats.Not a bad price to catch the singer that brought the world “Crazy In Love,” “Break My Soul,” “Single Ladies,” “Formation” and “Dangerously In Love” and so many more timeless hits.Plus, based on super fan Georgie Exinord’s glowing review of the ‘Renaissance’ concert she saw in Wales, fans will be stuck in a “canonic state of starstuck-ness.”Now that sounds too good to be true.Want to catch Queen Bey live up north?Here’s everything you need to know and more about Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance Tour’ gigs in Toronto.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete breakdown of all the best prices on upper-deck, lower-level and floor seats for each of Bey’s pair of Toronto shows can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.
Michael Imperioli Says His ‘Satirical and Symbolic Take’ on Discriminatory Supreme Court Decision Did Not Land for Some People
Instagram. “Some people have not gotten the irony I was expressing so I thought I’d be more explicit … The post referred to here was a satirical and symbolic take on where blatantly discriminatory Supreme Court decisions are taking us as a nation: into utter division and possibly far worse.”“The White Lotus” actor’s initial comments followed the U.S.
'Sopranos' Actor Michael Imperioli Says 'Bigots' Can't Watch His Work Following Supreme Court Ruling
Michael Imperioli is reacting to the Supreme Court ruling that made it legal for a web designer to refuse to work with a same-sex couple.
‘Sopranos’ Star Michael Imperioli ‘Forbids Homophobes And Bigots’ From Watching His Work Following Supreme Court Ruling
Michael Imperioli is taking a stance against the recent Supreme Court ruling in the United States earlier this week.
‘Sopranos’ Star Michael Imperioli ‘Forbids Bigots and Homophobes’ From Watching His Work: Supreme Court Decision ‘Allows Me to Discriminate’
J. Kim Murphy Michael Imperioli is among many actors in Hollywood speaking out against the Supreme Court, with the “Sopranos” star making a statement against the group’s ruling in favor of a Christian web designer who sought legal protection to discriminate against same-sex marriages due to her religious beliefs. Imperioli shared a screenshot of a news story about the ruling on Instagram, with the headline “Supreme Court protects web designer who won’t do gay wedding websites,” along with a caption railing against the decision. “I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Goodfellas’ or any movie or TV show I’ve been in,” Imperioli wrote Saturday morning. “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!”
LGBTQ People, Allies Lament Supreme Court’s Pro-Discrimination Ruling
LGBTQ advocates and allies are lamenting the Supreme Court’s recent decision in favor of a website designer who sought an exemption from her state’s nondiscrimination law to allow her to refuse to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.Despite one of the alleged requests for service from a gay couple allegedly being fabricated or submitted under false pretenses, as reported by The New Republic, the high court ultimately decided in favor of Lorie Smith, the owner of 303 Creative, LLC, finding that Colorado’s law infringes on her free speech rights.The court further found that, because Smith creates “custom” websites that contain “expressive content,” she should have been granted a “free speech” exemption to the Coloraod Anti-Discrimination Act allowing her to not only refuse service to same-sex couples, but to post a notice that she will refuse to create websites celebrating same-sex marriages.Many allies of the LGBTQ community noted that while the decision is not as broad as to overturn nullify laws prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination, it does create a massive carve-out for businesses providing “custom-made” goods or services, allowing them to discriminate against prospective customers — in this particular case, LGBTQ individuals, but potentially members of other groups in the future — on free speech grounds. “The Supreme Court just gave businesses a license to discriminate,” Ben Olinsky, the senior vice president of Structural Reform and Governance at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said in a statement.
The Supreme Court's Ruling Against Affirmative Action, Explained
landed serious blows to the American education system this week.First, on June 29, the Court struck down at the University of North Carolina and Harvard before President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program, which offered up to $20,000 of debt relief to millions of Americans, just a day later. Each of these decisions is considered a major victory for the conservative faction.Regarding the rulings against affirmative action, here's everything you need to know.Affirmative action programs and policies are aimed toward the inclusion of underrepresented groups, based on race, gender, sexuality, etc.
Supreme Court: Businesses can refuse service to gay people
An evangelical Christian web designer can refuse services to same-sex wedding websites, the Supreme Court ruled Friday. Photo: Queerency
Engaged Actors Ben Platt and Noah Galvin Slam Supreme Court’s ‘Backwards’ Ruling Against Same-Sex Marriage (EXCLUSIVE)
Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Recently engaged couple Ben Platt and Noah Galvin are reacting to Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that favors a Colorado web designer refusing to make a wedding website for LGBTQ couples because she is against same-sex marriage. “I think it’s a distraction from things that are actually important, like the planet melting,” Platt told me Friday morning during an interview for on an upcoming episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “I also think it’s the people who are losing clout, it’s like the last rageful fiery, ‘This is not how it should be!’ before they go away forever. “It’s my only hope. That’s the only way to stay any kind of optimistic about it because otherwise it’s just fully going back in time and harming people for no reason,” he continued. “It feels so backwards, so directly backwards.”
Supreme Court Rules Against LGBTQ Community in 303 Creative v. Elenis
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a graphic designer who denied service to same-sex couples.
Supreme Court Decision to Block Student Loan Forgiveness Draws Outrage: ‘An Unelected Superlegislature That Can’t Be Checked’
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Democrats in Congress Seek to Ban LGBTQ “Panic” Defenses
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Sex educator Sue Johanson, host of ‘Talk Sex,’ dead at 93
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Sue Johanson, Canada’s Favourite Sex Educator, Dead At 93
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