As my case heads to the Supreme Court, I am choosing to embrace a legacy of freedom – Washington Examiner

Theres a human cost when the government fails to protect freedom. Its a cost Im familiar with. For almost six years now, Ive been in court with officials from my home state of Colorado who are trying to take away my freedom of speech and force me to say something I dont believe.

Here between Memorial Day and Independence Day, Ive been thinking of those who chose to pay an even greater cost to preserve freedom. The men and women we honor at such times set aside, and in many cases sacrifice, their lives to preserve the freedoms of all people. My family has seen a lot of those sacrifices, across many decades, and Im especially grateful for that legacy. More than that, though, Ive learned from it.

My father's father, Stanley, served in the Army during World War II. He was honorably discharged when he contracted rheumatic fever in the service, and that compromised his health to the point he couldnt carry out his duties. That was not the end of his sacrifice, though. The effects of the fever eventually killed him. My father was 16 years old when Grandpa Stanley died. As a little boy, all that death meant to him was that he had lost his father.

Grandpa Stanley had two brothers. His wife, Helen, had five. All of those brothers served overseas during the war. Thats a lot of sacrifice for one combined family, but it wasnt unusual for that time and their community. They knew how precious freedom was and knew it was worth fighting for.

My mothers mother was married twice. Her second husband was Frank. He served as an Army corporal in the Korean War. He and I shared our birthday. He died the day after I turned 3 years old. Every Memorial Day, we visit his grave at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.

And then there was Paul, or Grandpa Ziggy, my grandmothers first husband. He gave 25 years of his life to the service, first in the Army, then in the Air Force. He retired as a captain, after fighting in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Among other things, he served as a guard at the Nuremberg trials, just after World War II.

My grandfathers made their sacrifices, of time, of distance, and of health, because they believed in our country. They were honored to represent a government whose fundamental principles they shared. Those principles included the belief that every life has dignity and that every person has inalienable rights and should be able to live free from government coercion. Back then, those truths seemed as real to most of our elected officials as they did to men like Grandpa Stanley, Frank, and Ziggy.

I inherited my grandfathers great love for this country and its freedoms, but I also inherited a very different culture and very different state officials. My grandfathers had to fight the forces of other nations that threatened those freedoms. Today, Im having to stand against the very state officials who are supposed to be protecting our freedoms.

I am a graphic artist and website designer, the owner of my own design studio. I am also a Christian seeking to live with love and grace toward all, according to the teachings of my faith. I have a special interest in designing websites for weddings, but Colorado officials say that should I offer these websites, Ill have to design websites celebrating marriages other than between one man and one woman. That would mean expressing through my custom designs a message that conflicts with my religious beliefs.

Colorado and a federal court both acknowledge that I have exercised no bias in how I treat my clients. I work with people from all walks of life, including those who identify as LGBT. That court has also determined that graphic art and websites like mine are speech and are clearly protected by the First Amendment. Yet the court said that Colorado can nonetheless force me to create custom designs and speak messages about marriage that violate my beliefs.

And not just me. Under current law, these officials can compel other citizens to communicate messages they dont agree with, too.

Veterans like my grandfathers made their sacrifices so that the freedoms they cherished could be passed down to their children and grandchildren. But today, the very government they defended is failing in its duty to preserve free speech for all of us.

Thats why Ive chosen to take a stand one that is taking me to the Supreme Court. I want my childrens children to know what it means to be free. I am asking the justices to affirm our Constitutions commitment to ensuring our government never forces its citizens to speak against their deepest beliefs, even if we hold different opinions.

I wish to honor my grandfathers and the countless other men and women who have served this great country, standing nobly for freedom. And Im humbled and inspired by their example, as I stand for freedom of speech for all people.

Lorie Smith is the owner of 303 Creative in Colorado. She is being represented at the Supreme Court this fall by Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal).

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As my case heads to the Supreme Court, I am choosing to embrace a legacy of freedom - Washington Examiner