Man Named In Supreme Court Gay Rights Ruling Says He’s Straight, Didn’t Request Website
A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday could refuse to make wedding websites for same-sex couples over her religious objections, cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her and says he’s straight and happily married to a woman.
The website request in dispute, from a person identified in court documents as “Stewart,” came to light only after lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed the web designer, Laurie Smith, and her lawyers on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue.
Smith named Stewart in court filings as someone who requested graphic designs for invitations and other materials for a same-sex wedding with his fiancé, Mike.
His phone number and email address are listed in 2017 court documents. But Stewart told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didn’t know his name had been invoked in the lawsuit until he was contacted last week by a reporter from The New Republic, which first reported his denial. “I was incredibly surprised given the fact that I’ve been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years,” said Stewart.
