Michael Imperioli Clarifies “Symbolic” Take on U.S. Supreme Court Rulings: “I Vehemently Oppose Hate, Prejudice and Bigotry”
Michael Imperioli is clarifying his “satirical and symbolic take” on a series of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that narrow or erase protections and opportunity for minority groups.
The Sopranos and White Lotus actor took to Instagram on the Fourth of July, he said, after turning down TV appearances to discuss his previous and now-deleted post criticizing recent rulings around artists’ ability to decline service to LGBTQ customers and the end of affirmation action policies in higher education, which declared that colleges’ use of race as a factor in student admissions. At the time, wrote that “hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view” and “America is becoming dumber by the minute.”
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“I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in,” the actor wrote in the caption of a screenshotted news article. “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA ! USA!”
Now, Imperioli says that while “the post certainly got the message across to most and did it’s job,” he wants to clarify that his message was a “satirical and symbolic take on where blatantly discriminatory Supreme Court decisions are taking us as a nation: into utter division and possibly far worse.”
“I believe in religious freedom, freedom of speech and the right for individuals to pursue happiness. I also believe in the separation of church and state as stated in the First Amendment. I believe that all people regardless of race, religion, color, creed, gender or sexuality are entitled to freedom, equality, rights and protection under the laws of our nation,” he said.
In his effort to be more direct, literal and explicit in the face of some not understanding the “irony” he was expressing, he added that, “I vehemently oppose hate, prejudice and bigotry and always have.”
Imperioli’s comments came after the decisions in the affirmative action case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard, and the gay rights case 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which saw the court’s conservative majority rule in favor of designer Lorie Smith. The ruling suggests that artists, including photographers, videographers and writers, are among those who can refuse to offer what the court defined as expressive services based on their beliefs.
Both cases have met criticism and scrutiny, with the affirmative action case already sparking a civil rights complaint, according to the Associated Press, challenging Harvard University’s legacy admissions, a practice the complaint argues offers an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni and thus discriminates against students of color. The New Republic and The Washington Post also reported that in the 303 Creative case, the individual Smith alleged had reached out to design a wedding website for him and a male partner never requested the website design and was married to a woman at the time the alleged request was made.
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