Pedro Pascal calls out anti-LGBTQ US Supreme Court judges
"No person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love," added President Joe Biden.
The Last of Us‘ Pedro Pascal has added his dissent to a recent judgment from the US Supreme Court, which ruled against the LGBTQ community.
On Friday (30 June) a 6-3 majority of the US Supreme Court sided with web designer, Lorie Smith, who argued she could not serve same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs.
The ruling effectively gives permission to service providers in the US that they can do the same, thereby discriminating against LGBTQ people.
In a recent Instagram story, The Mandalorian – an outspoken and staunch LGBTQ ally – posted a picture of all the Supreme Court judges.
Pedro Pascal added Pride and trans flag emojis over the judges who voted against the LGBTQ community.
The ruling subsequently led to a significant backlash against the Supreme Court, an arm of the US state that many have increasingly viewed as hostile to liberal values following the repeal of Roe vs Wade.
Commenting on the ruling, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the three judges who sided against Smith, said: “Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people.”
In a statement, the US President, Joe Biden, wrote: “No person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love.”
Kelley Robinson, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, added: “This decision is a dangerous step backward, giving some businesses the power to discriminate against people simply because of who we are.”
Smith filed a lawsuit in 2016 that argued against anti-discrimination laws in the US state of Colorado, where she’s based. Smith runs 303 Creative and is an evangelical Christian.
The case came before the Supreme Court after two lower courts sided with Colorado.
Under Donald Trump’s presidency three judges – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanagh, and Amy Coney Barrett – were appointed, giving the court its right-leaning conservative majority.