Religious beliefs usually don’t beat LGBTQ+ rights in court

+ how fiber helps control your weight US Edition - Today's top story: The Colorado website designer's win is one of dozens of federal cases where religious beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights have clashed – and the pattern might not be what you think [View in browser]( US Edition | 3 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Subtle hum of ancient black hole detected]( - [Inside the Beanie Baby economy]( - [Pascal's lasting influence on faith versus science]( Lead story It was one of this term’s most anticipated decisions from the Supreme Court – and, in typical fashion, one of the last it released. 303 Creative v. Elenis brought together a heavy-hitting combination of topics: free speech, religious beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights. A Colorado website designer opposed to same-sex marriage challenged the state’s anti-discrimination law, arguing it would violate her First Amendment rights to free speech if she weren’t allowed to turn away same-sex couples seeking wedding websites. On Friday, the last day of the court’s annual term, a 6-3 majority of justices agreed – the latest in several high-profile cases in which plaintiffs whose cases were related to their religious beliefs have won. Taking a longer view, though, the [pattern looks much more complicated](, caution sociologists Kelsy Burke and Emily Kazyak. The pair analyzed every federal court case from 1990 to 2020 that involves religious beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights – here’s what they learned. [[Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.](] Molly Jackson Religion and Ethics Editor Viewed over decades, the Supreme Court’s record on religion-related cases is more complicated than recent headlines suggest. Phil Roeder/Moment via Getty Images [The Colorado website designer’s win is one of dozens of federal cases where religious beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights have clashed – and the pattern might not be what you think]( Kelsy Burke, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Emily Kazyak, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Two sociologists break down how cases related to plaintiffs’ beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights have fared in federal courts over several decades. Science + Technology - [A subtle symphony of ripples in spacetime – astronomers use dead stars to measure gravitational waves produced by ancient black holes]( Chris Impey, University of Arizona Astronomers have for the first time detected the background hum of gravitational waves likely caused by merging black holes. - [Fiber is your body’s natural guide to weight management – rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead]( Christopher Damman, University of Washington Many processed foods strip carbs of their natural fibers. Eating foods with an ideal total carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio can help with weight management and improve overall health. Education - [Now that President Biden’s student loan cancellation program has been canceled, here’s what’s next]( William Chittenden, Texas State University The Supreme Court rejected President Joe Biden’s student loan program that aimed at delivering up to $20,000 of relief per borrower. - [How new state laws and book ban movements have made the teaching of US history contentious – 5 essential reads]( Jamaal Abdul-Alim, The Conversation; Jusneel Mahal, The Conversation Scholars examine how state laws that restrict lessons on race could affect students and educators. Ethics + Religion - [400 years ago, philosopher Blaise Pascal was one of the first to grapple with the role of faith in an age of science and reason]( David Hoinski, West Virginia University Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and a Catholic theologian, born 400 years ago, left a deep and lasting influence on the world that can be felt today. - [A business can decline service based on its beliefs, Supreme Court rules – but what will this look like in practice?]( Charles J. Russo, University of Dayton A designer opposed to same-sex marriage argued that a Colorado anti-discrimination law would effectively force her to speak against her beliefs. International - [The Global South is on the rise – but what exactly is the Global South?]( Jorge Heine, Boston University Terms like ‘Third World’ and ‘developing nations’ have long fallen out of fashion. - [Cambodia PM Hun Sen will shut down opposition on election day – even if he can no longer threaten voters on Facebook]( Sophal Ear, Arizona State University The social media account of Cambodia’s long-serving leader was deleted amid a spat with Facebook over videoed threats of violence against opposition supporters. - [Global warming is changing Canada’s boreal forest and tundra]( Konrad Gajewski, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Canada’s boreal forest is affected by global warming, climate change and the frequency of forest fires. Economy + Business - [Why are some Beanie Babies worth more than others? Prices for collectibles are about supply and demand]( Christophe Spaenjers, University of Colorado Boulder An expert in high-end collectibles explains why certain items can become valuable – and also how they can lose worth. Trending on site - [What Beijing’s muted response to Wagner mutiny tells us about China-Russia relations – and what it doesn’t]( - [By ‘helping’ wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here’s why you should keep your distance]( - [Inside the black box of Amazon returns]( Reader Comments 💬 “These tools [like Stable Diffusion] not only let artists create very specific aesthetic results, but in fact override and create new purpose-built semioses. That is, by curating and pairing language with specific image inputs, we can do very directed training to deliver unique aesthetic output.” – Reader Sasha Agafonoff on the story [The folly of making art with text-to-image generative AI]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? Follow us: • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [Instagram]( • [LinkedIn]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](