President Joe Biden on Friday blasted the Supreme Court ruling in favor of discrimination against same-sex couples.
“In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love,” Biden said in a statement.
The conservative-majority court voted 6-3 to broaden the rights of people who want to discriminate against same-sex couples. The case, 303 Creative v. Elenis, involved a web designer who asked the court to grant her the right under the First Amendment to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples because of her Christian religious beliefs.
Her argument was purely hypothetical ― she hadn’t actually ever refused a gay or lesbian couple. But that didn’t stop the court from voting in her favor.
In his statement, Biden said the ruling “could invite more discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans,” referring to members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as intersex individuals.
“More broadly, today’s decision weakens long-standing laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations – including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith, and women,” he added.
Biden said his administration will continue to work with federal agencies to enforce federal laws that protect Americans from discrimination.
“We will also work with states across the country to fight back against attempts to roll back civil rights protections that could follow this ruling,” he said. “And we will accelerate our march towards full equality for every American.”