By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Jordan Musgrave’s world was rocked earlier this summer when some of his rights as a gay man were revoked by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Musgrave, president of BGO Pride, and many others in the LGBTQIA+ community were left wondering which rights will be rescinded next.
“This case is going to have an impact on far more than this,” he said, sitting in a downtown business he knows is welcoming to all in the community.
The Supreme Court ruled that businesses can refuse to serve same-sex couples if doing so would violate the owners’ religious beliefs. That was a shift since the court has expanded LGBTQ rights over the past several years, but is now carving out some exceptions.
The case involved a Colorado web designer who wanted to create and sell wedding websites, but not to same-sex couples. Colorado’s civil rights law prohibited any business that serves the general public, from turning away customers because of their sexual orientation.
Though she had not been asked to create a website for a same-sex couple, the web designer said doing so would force her to espouse views she does not agree with.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of the web designer, saying she has a First Amendment right to refuse to design custom wedding websites for same-sex couples.
Musgrave sees this as an erosion of rights, and a ruling that exposes a lot of gray areas. What if a business owner were to say providing a “First Amendment” service to someone divorced, Muslim, Jewish, Christian or an unwed parent violates their “religious” beliefs?
“Gray areas can be dangerous,” he said. “Where does it end?”
Musgrave recalled the high court’s 2015 ruling that legalized same sex marriage. That, he thought, was a turning point for rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I didn’t think I’d see that in my lifetime they’d start taking rights away from people,” he said, noting the court’s flip on reproductive rights.
During a meeting of Not In Our Town Bowling Green last month, local residents talked about the Supreme Court ruling giving First Amendment privileges – which had historically been reserved for individuals – to businesses. The same was done years earlier with the Citizens United decision involving campaign donations.
The group talked about the possible broad implications for the recent decision, and the erosion of rights for some people.
“It’s at times like these that our work is even more critical,” said Ana Brown, co-chairperson of Not In Our Town BG. “I very much feel the frustration – the ‘what’s next?’”
The organization discussed how local businesses can signal their support of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The idea was introduced to provide rainbow stickers to supportive Bowling Green businesses, printed with “Hate has no home here.”
Musgrave would like to see something in place to let LGBTQIA+ individuals know when they approach a business that they won’t be turned away.
“We’re always brainstorming to help people feel this is a safe environment,” he said. “No matter what your sexuality is, you’d feel welcome.”
Musgrave, a 2010 graduate of Elmwood High School, came out when he was a freshman in high school. Back then, “people got bullied for it, or they just swept it under the rug.”
He was fortunate to have a supportive family. “A lot of people don’t have that.”
“I just wish people would develop the mindset that every human being can love who they want,” he said. “In a free and democratic society, there can be no social caste. We should be promoting love and not hate.”
