Here’s our latest FIC update from Executive Director Peter Wolfgang:

By now you have heard about yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Christian baker Jack Phillips, who was persecuted by the government for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The mainstream media–even those outlets who interviewed Family Institute of Connecticut–are running with the pro-LGBTQ spin.

Don’t believe it.

The true takeaway from the Masterpiece Cakeshop case is this: We have to be respectful and tolerant of all views.

As all of us who fought against same-sex marriage–and the attacks on us that followed its judicial imposition–knows, that is a message that can only benefit people of faith in 2018. We are the ones that have suffered increasing hostility and discrimination in the years since the courts re-defined marriage.

The Court ruled yesterday that it is unconstitutional for the government to show hostility toward someone because of their religious beliefs. In a state like Connecticut, where our own governor accused a future Vice President of the United States of being a “bigot” for believing in God’s truth about marriage, that is no small thing.

The Court said that governmental hostility toward people due to their religious faith is “impermissible.”

It ruled against disparate treatment. A government that forces you to bake a pro same-sex marriage cake but says you do not have to bake a cake criticizing same-sex marriage is obviously not neutral.

What the Court said is that the government does not have the right to determine what is offensive, to elevate one view of what is offensive over another.

And for us in Connecticut, that is big.

Pro-family citizens in Connecticut have noted the increasing rhetorical hostility toward people of traditional faith from state officials in high office…everything from cries of “bigotry” to claims of “perpetuating rape culture” simply for holding traditional religious views.

Those officials have just been put on notice by the highest Court in the land that they cannot write their hostility against us into law.

It is likely that some Connecticut officials will continue to speak of pro-family citizens in disparaging terms. But putting their hostility toward us on record will now only hurt them, should they move against us in ways that demonstrate a lack of neutrality.

Yes, there are still many questions yet to be answered–and litigated. But yesterday was a victory for all Americans. This is what real respect, real dignity and real tolerance looks like.