© 2021
In touch with the world ... at home on the High Plains
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Colorado LGBT Case Could Have Texas Consequences

Todd Wiseman
/
Texas Tribune

An upcoming Supreme Court case involving a Colorado wedding cake shop’s refusal to serve a gay couple could have major implications in Texas.

As The Texas Tribune reports, in 2012 a baker at the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado denied service to a gay couple, citing his own religious exceptions to gay marriage. If the high court rules in favor of the baker, the decision could affect a number of recent prominent cases in Texas.

During the most recent Texas legislative session, lawmakers proposed several laws based on religious refusal of service. The most prominent, House Bill 3859, allows welfare providers to deny adoption services to LGBT people on religious grounds.

However, it’s unclear how a ruling in favor of the Colorado baker could affect Texas. Unlike Colorado, Texas is one of five states that doesn’t have a law prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, ancestry or religion.