‘Sopranos’ star Michael Imperioli slams SCOTUS for ruling in favor of web designer who refused to work on LGBTQ weddings – and says he now ‘forbids bigots and homophobes’ to watch his work
- Sopranos star Michael Imperioli sarcastically thanked the Supreme Court for ‘allowing’ him to discriminate as he banned ‘bigots’ and ‘homophobes’
- He later commented on his Instagram post that ‘America is becoming dumber by the minute’
- Imperioli spoke out after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian web designer who argued she shouldn’t have to design a page for a same-sex couple
Sopranos star Michael Imperioli sarcastically thanked the Supreme Court for ‘allowing’ him to discriminate, as he banned ‘bigots’ and ‘homophobes’ from watching his work.
‘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 posted on Instagram Saturday following the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian web designer who argued she shouldn’t have to design a page for a same-sex couple.
‘Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!’ Imperioli continued, before getting more serious and saying: ‘Hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view.’
He later commented on his post: ‘America is becoming dumber by the minute.’
The actor is now just one of many activists who have spoken out in recent days against the decision.
Sopranos star Michael Imperioli (pictured in October) slammed the Supreme Court’s decision allowing a Christian web designer to refuse service to a same-sex couple
He posted on Instagram that ‘bigots’ and ‘homophobes’ are no longer allowed to watch The Sopranos. Imperioli is pictured in the series with James Gandolfini
Imperioli also ‘thanked’ the Supreme Court ‘for allowing me to discriminate’
The 6-3, conservative-backed decision overturned a lower court’s ruling that Denver-area business owner Lorie Smith was not allowed an exemption from a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Smith, the owner of 303 Creative, is an evangelical Christian who said she believes marriage can only exist between a man and a woman.
She sued Colorado’s civil rights commission and officials in 2016 because she said she feared being punished for refusing to serve gay weddings.
Her case was argued by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian group that has frequently pursued cases targeting gay and transgender people’s rights.
During oral arguments, Smith insisted she did not want to discriminate against anyone but simply objected to not being able to express her Christian beliefs.
She argued her websites counted as art and were protected by her constitutional right to free speech.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed — even as the liberal justices argued that a ruling in Smith’s favor would encourage other businesses to discriminate against certain customers.
Lorie Smith is a Christian graphic designer who said her religious beliefs would make her decline requests to design wedding websites for same sex couples
The Supreme Court ruled 6 – 3 in Smith’s favor, led by its conservative majority
In his majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the First Amendment prohibits Colorado state officials from ‘forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees.’
‘The First Amendment’s protections belong to all, not just to speakers whose motives the government finds worthy,’ he wrote.
‘In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance.’
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, however, said the ruling was ‘profoundly wrong’ in her minority opinion.
‘Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class,’ she said, reading from the bench in a display of the depth of the minority’s feeling.
‘Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people.’
A person protests outside the Supreme Court, on Friday as a decision on Lorie Smith’s case was expected in Washington
A demonstrator is pictured protesting outside the Supreme Court as it made its final decision on the case Friday
Smith’s supporters cheered after the Court’s conservative majority ruled that she can refuse to work with same-sex couples
Democrats were also quick to call out the decision, with President Joe Biden saying he is ‘deeply concerned that the decision could invite more discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans.
‘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.’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also said: ‘Refusing service based on whom someone loves is just as bigoted and hateful as refusing service because of race or religion.
‘And this is bigotry that the vast majority of Americans find completely unacceptable.’
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