May 19, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monica Joins Other Cities in Standing Up for LGBTQ Rights in Supreme Court Brief on Masterpiece Cakeshop Case

Two days ago, the City of Santa Monica and Mayor Ted Winterer joined 70 cities across the country in a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief supporting the rights of LGBTQ people to be free from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The amicus brief responds to the case Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission where a Colorado baker refused to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple.

“We join our neighbors in Los Angeles and cities across the country in standing up for equality and condemning the denial of services based on sexual orientation,” said Mayor Ted Winterer. “This kind of behavior damages communities and is in complete opposition to the values of Santa Monica.”

The brief was filed in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s review of the case on December 5, 2017. This review comes after the Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that the bakery had violated Colorado law by discriminating against the couple.

In July 2012, David Mullins and Charlie Craig visited Masterpiece Cakeshop to purchase a wedding cake. Owner Jack Phillips informed them that because of his religious beliefs the store’s policy was to deny service to customers who wished to order bakery items to celebrate a same-sex couple’s wedding.

“Religious freedom is not a license to discriminate,” said City Attorney Lane Dilg. “Same-sex couples are entitled to equal dignity in the eyes of the law, and the City of Santa Monica is committed to antidiscrimination laws that will ensure that businesses that are open to the public are open to all.”

Santa Monica City Seal

<>Related Posts

(Video) Venice Beach Holds Inaugural Half Marathon and 5K on Boardwalk

May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025

The Event Drew Hundreds of Participants and Included Multiple Race Categories The Event Drew Hundreds of Participants and Included Multiple...

Fatal Electrocution Reported in Malibu After Downed Power Line

May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025

Power Line Brought Down Near Point Dume; One Person Killed A fatal electrocution occurred Saturday afternoon during a tree-trimming operation...

Historic ‘Parry Residence’ in Pacific Palisades Lists for $25M

May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025

It is one of the earliest homes constructed in the Huntington Palisades and was prominently featured in a 1930 issue...

10-Unit Venice Townhouse with Ocean Views Listed for $6M

May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025

Built in 1975, the 14,025-square-foot structure sits on a 7,971-square-foot corner lot  A 10-unit townhouse complex just steps from the...

Elon Musk’s Tesla Renews Santa Monica Lease for 82,000-Square-Foot Service Center

May 18, 2025

May 18, 2025

Tesla Keeps California Roots with Santa Monica Service Center Renewal Despite relocating its corporate headquarters to Texas, Tesla has reaffirmed...

Yeastie Boys and Netflix Launch Nobody Wants This Bagel Pop-Up for Emmy Season

May 16, 2025

May 16, 2025

Two-Day Event Rolls Through Brentwood on May 17 With Themed Menu In a pitch-perfect blend of street food and streaming...

Boundary Pushing Opera Schoenberg in Hollywood Makes West Coast Premiere at UCLA’s Nimoy Theater

May 16, 2025

May 16, 2025

Multimedia Opera Reimagining the Life of Arnold Schoenberg Debuts May 18–22 Tod Machover’s boundary-pushing chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, will...

L.A. County Has Canceled $183 Million in Medical Debt for Over 134,000 Residents

May 16, 2025

May 16, 2025

First Wave of Relief Part to Relieve Medical Debt for Low-Income Angelenos In a major step toward easing the financial...

Northside Pier Fest Returns to Venice Following Fire Delays

May 16, 2025

May 16, 2025

Heats will take place across both the Main and Secondary Banks of the Venice Fishing Pier The Northside Pier Fest...

Palisades Youth to Perform Benefit Cabaret at Harvard-Westlake

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

The performance will feature solo and group acts ranging from vocal and instrumental music to dance In the wake of...

Santa Monica College to Stage U.S. Premiere of ‘Dara’

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

The production brings to American audiences for the first time the story of two royal brothers—Dara and Aurangzeb—locked in a...

Santa Monica Exhibit Showcases Artists Silenced by Pandemic

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

The exhibit features a wide spectrum of visual art that emerged from a period defined by social upheaval, personal introspection,...

Film Review: Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

By Dolores Quintana Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning is a ridiculously entertaining action film with a core of what humanity...

(Video) Where great minds grow at The Willows Community School

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

The Willows, a DK-8 co-educational school, enrolls 474 students from 57+ zip codes annually. As a balanced, progressive educational leader, experiential learning,...

Experience You Can Trust, Beards You Can Admire: Economy Roofing’s 75-Year Legacy in Santa Monica CA

May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

Driving along Santa Monica Blvd., you may have seen a playful billboard featuring two rugged men with impressively big beards,...