LGBT rights yield to religious interests at US Supreme Court

FILE PHOTO: Activists gather outside U.S. Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in case involving LGBT rights in WashingtonLGBT rights yield to religious interests at US Supreme Court FILE PHOTO: Activists gather outside U.S. Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in case involving LGBT rights in WashingtonBy John KruzelWASHINGTON (Reuters) - In its decision permitting an evangelical Christian web designer to refuse service for same-sex weddings, the U.S. Supreme Court again embraced an expansive view of religious interests at the expense of protections for LGBT people. "We've seen a dramatic expansion of rights for conservative religious communities that has had a detrimental impact on equality rights, certainly for LGBTQ people," said Elizabeth Platt, director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Columbia Law School. Smith, who said she opposes gay marriage based on her Christian beliefs, was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious rights group. Still, the ruling illustrated a disparity in how the court views protections for LGBT people in contrast to the competing conservative Christian interests, Platt said. Platt said that "if Obergefell had been litigated under this Supreme Court, I don't think it would come out the same way."