The View star reveals why she agrees with Supreme Court ruling for designer who opposes gay marriage
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The View cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin said she agrees with the Supreme Court's recent siding with a Colorado web designer who argued that she had a constitutional right to refuse wedding website services to same-sex couples — but not for the reason you might expect.
"I actually agree with the Supreme Court decision, but let me explain, and I do not think it protects this woman's right to discriminate," the 34-year-old former Donald Trump White House associate said on Wednesday's episode of the talk show. "Basically, what it says is, because something like creating a website would be freedom of expression or speech, this would also — let's flip it on its head — it would protect a gay web designer from having to create a bigoted, anti-LGBTQ website. They have the right based on their viewpoint protection to say, 'I don't want to do that.'"
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg pushed back, stressing, that "they have the right to say that" already. "You don't know somebody's gay unless you ask them, so if the web designer says, 'Um, we're booked up,' they don't have to deal with that other stuff this woman made this about."
ABC (2) Whoopi Goldberg and Alyssa Farah Griffin on 'The View'
Griffin, who has long expressed her support for the queer community since leaving Trump's White House in 2020, responded with concern over anti-LGBTQIA+ activists challenging protections in the courts. "I think the precedent here is very narrowly tailored on expression, so it's saying if it's something about your viewpoint you do have a right to refuse services," to which panelist Sunny Hostin said, "But it's still discrimination."
Goldberg pressed on, telling Griffin, "This is about being able to say, 'I don't want to do a gay person's website,' that's what this is about."
Hostin also begged Griffin to consider that queer people should already be "a protected class" against discrimination.
Finally, Joy Behar jumped in with a comparison. "Does this mean that if I owned a salon and, let's say, Trump wanted to get a haircut, could I say no?" she asked. When Goldberg responded in the affirmative, she continued, "I would like to open up a salon just for that to happen!"
Hostin summarized the exchange by saying she had an issue with services being refused in a "discriminatory" manner, and that people shouldn't be able to use this ruling as a reason to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation in the future.
The ruling came amid a recent uptick in anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment in the U.S., including several attempted legislative moves targeting trans people and drag performers in states like Texas and Tennessee.
"If you're an enemy of drag, you're an enemy of mine," comedian George Lopez said during a January appearance on The View.
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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