CHICAGO — In 2004, Jackie McKethen, a transgender woman, walked into a Springfield bar, ordered a drink and struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to her.
When she ordered her second drink, McKethen, of Crete, said the bartender told her he couldn't serve her. When she asked why, she said the bartender told her that another man, who had moved to the other end of the bar after she started talking to the man next to her, expressed concern.
“He said ‘There’s a gentleman at the other end of the bar that doesn’t want to encourage you to stay,’” McKethen said.
McKethen said she and the bartender went back and forth on the matter, and the guy sitting next to her even offered to buy her next drink. Ultimately, McKethen said she left the bar, but she felt terrible.
“It was like a gut punch, quite frankly, to be discriminated against,” said McKethen, a member of the Crete Library Board. “It only proved to me that there are people out there that are that ugly.”
On June 30, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Colorado web designer Lorie Smith who said she had a First Amendment right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples even through the state has a law that prohibits discrimination against gay people.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority stating the First Amendment protected the designer from expressing views she opposed. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor raised concerns the ruling sets the country back decades to a time when minority groups were discriminated against.
McKethen called the ruling a shame as the justices showed “their true colors.”
“Equality is going out the window really quickly with this group. It’s quite a shame. The court is trying to take us back decades,” McKethen said.
Kirstin Bowns, who grew up in Crete, said she opened a news application on her phone during a break at work and saw the news about the ruling.
“I was unsurprised, but very sad. It very much feels like we’re going backward after so much forward progression,” Bowns said.
Bowns, who lives in Wisconsin with her wife, said the business owner in the case was used as a pawn to push a conservative agenda.
While progressive cities will likely continue protecting LGBTQ rights, Bowns said it is likely Republican-led areas of the country will use the ruling as a way to pass anti-LGBTQ laws. What concerns her most, Bowns said, is the affect the ruling could have on other LGBTQ rights, such as medical care and marriage.
“People are going to again face blatant discrimination, but now it’s supported by the highest court in the land,” Bowns said.
LGBTQ people should continue talking about the ruling, and its impact, with their friends a family, Bowns said. They should take a deep breath, regroup and then continue fighting for their rights, she said.
“We as a community have weathered many storms over generations. We will continue to fight for protections,” Bowns said.
What was disappointing about the ruling, McKethen said, was that it exposed the Supreme Court’s conservative political agenda. The Supreme Court was created to protect people’s rights and freedoms, she said.
“The Republicans are trying to push us back in the closet and locking the closet door. It’s not right,” McKethen said. “We’re supposed to all be appreciative of each other’s rights and each other’s lives. There’s no room in a democracy for this kind of descent.”
McKethen said she’s concerned that other businesses will start denying services or products to LGBTQ people.
“Just like when I went to the bar, I wasn’t disturbing anybody. Why does one person, or a group of people, have the right to intrude on my lifestyle? It doesn’t make sense,” McKethen said.
Steve Balich, Republican leader of the Will County Board, said he agreed with the Supreme Court ruling because he said business leaders shouldn’t be forced to do something that goes against their beliefs.
To people who argue that the ruling discriminates against LGBTQ people, Balich said they should consider business owners being discriminated against for their beliefs.
“Businesses should be able to do business with whoever they want,” Balich said. “If it’s against your personal beliefs or personal religion, you shouldn’t be forced.”
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