NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Just last week, a record setting number of people celebrated the LGBTQ+ community, at the Nashville Pride Festival.
But for LGBTQ advocate Phil Cobucci, the cheer felt last week feels so far away now.
"They look at the LGBTQ community as second class citizens. As a community that rights can be taken away from. And this is an opportunity for a license to discriminate with," he said.
The conservative-majority Supreme Court sided with Lorie Smith, a Christian graphic artist who sued the state of Colorado, because she did not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples. She said the state's anti-discrimination law violated her right to free speech and religious freedom.
Cobucci said the last few months have felt like a never-ending challenge. He serves as the Executive Director for Inclusion TN, a non-profit that aims to enrich and enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ community members. In a conservative led state he worries about the effect this ruling will have.
"Our state is already attacking our community left and right. And now we're at a space where we believe that state lawmakers will now use this as a license to discriminate," he said.
After the ruling, he said he received message after message from community members who were concerned that more rights could be taken away. That's why he's pushing for stricter federal laws that will guarantee same-sex couples the right to marry.
"We need that protection. We need these kinds of hateful legislations to stop and we need to fight with every to piece of energy that we possibly can to prevent these kinds of attacks," Cobucci said.
Tennessee has seen a number of bills that restrict LGBTQ+ rights in the last year including legislation criminalizing drag shows and limiting gender-affirming care for trans children.
Advocates said they'll keep fighting for their right to love freely.
