Yahoo News Michael Imperioli Forbid 'Bigots and Homophobes' from Watching His Projects in Wake of Supreme Court Rulings
The star of 'The Sopranos', 'The White Lotus' and 'Goodfellas' is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, writing last month: "HAPPY PRIDE 2023! much love to all...stay strong, be fearless, be proud"
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Michael ImperioliMichael Imperioli had a message for "bigots and homophobes": Don't watch his projects.
The 57-year-old star of The Sopranos and The White Lotus season 2 wrote a post Instagram to share a screenshot of a news report about last week's Supreme Court ruling protecting a web designer who refuses to create websites for gay weddings.
“I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in,” Imperioli declared. “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!”
Imperioli's post came after the nation's highest court sided 6-3 with a Christian web designer who sought permission to refuse her creative services to LGBTQ+ people.
In its decision in the case (known as 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis) the Supreme Court held that "the First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees."
Critics have slammed the decision as regressive, arguing that it rolls back hard-fought civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans and paves the way for businesses to legally discriminate based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
President Joe Biden was among those to weigh in on the court's decision Friday afternoon, saying in a statement: "In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love."
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Imperioli is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and used Instagram late last month to share a Pride Month message beneath a photo of a Pride flag: "HAPPY PRIDE 2023! much love to all...stay strong, be fearless, be proud. and make sure to VOTE so we can get the bigots out of office!"
One month prior, the actor shared an image of a trans rights flag, along with the message: "dear brothers, sisters, and siblings. fear not, be strong and don't let the bastards grind you down. love you."
As some Twitter users noted, Imperioli also interacted with commenters beneath the photo, telling one critic: "you all make me ashamed. you're not allowed to watch my shows any more."
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