KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On June 30, the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled that a Christian graphic artist could refuse to work with same-sex couples. One of the justices wrote in a dissent that the decision would "mark gays and lesbians for second-class status," and could open the door to other kinds of discrimination.
After the court decision, a leader with Knox Pride urged the East Tennessee LGBTQ+ community to support each other. He also urged people to research businesses and providers before spending any money, to make sure the business would be accepting of LGBTQ+ people.
"Something that I would always encourage members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community is that if you are going to make a large purchase, that you will go to the internet and look them up," Nathan Higdon, the treasurer of Knox Pride's board of directors, said. "This decision would allow people who want to blatantly discriminate against the community to have a voice and platform with which to do so."
In the case, the Supreme Court ruled a Colorado web designer could legally deny a request from someone who wanted her to make a website for a same-sex marriage, despite a Colorado law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and other characteristics.
However, reports show she cited a request from a man who said he never asked to work with her. He told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didn’t know his name was invoked in the lawsuit until he was contacted this week by a reporter from The New Republic, which first reported his denial.
"You can always contact the Pride Center to see if we have any experience with a particular vendor. And it doesn't just have to be weddings, of course," said Higdon. "When you think about it, it must simply say that someone is using their business to also stand upon the ground of pushing their personal values into the corporate space."
He also said people who are looking to shop safely can find vendors at Knox Pride's markets once per month. There, they can network with artisans or experts. The center also has more than 40 events per year, which give people a chance to learn about making big purchases, like buying a home.
He also said the Supreme Court's ruling could be a sign of more rulings and legislation against the LGBTQ+ community.
"When we look at what's happened over the last year in the state and federally, we can only look to see that when there's an inch taken, there's always going to be another inch coming after that," said Higdon. "We always look to the next legislative session, the next round of rulings from the court, to figure out what's going to be the next issue that we're going to have to deal with because it generally is never-ending."
He also said anyone who is refused service at a business because they are a member of the LGBTQ+ community could face a hard decision. They could take to social media and post about it, to alert the community and possibly find another business that's more accepting but at the risk of attracting unwanted attention. Or, they can choose to stay quiet.
"You immediately want to tell people, 'You should go on blast on social media and just talk about this.' With the issues we run into when you think about the climate of Tennessee and nationally, is if you do this, you're actually probably going to cause yourself more issues and more pain," said Higdon. "I'd like to give people better advice on what to do. But it's really just up to the individual as to how they're going to handle it. And unfortunately, that's the best advice I have to give."