Under federal anti-discrimination laws, businesses can refuse service to any person for any reason,
unless the business is discriminating against a
protected class.
At the national level,
protected classes include:
- Race or color
- National origin or citizenship status
- Religion or creed
- Sex
- Age
- Disability, pregnancy, or genetic information
- Veteran status
Gay's are not mentioned.
The Colorado anti-discrimination law (
CO Rev Stat § 24-34-601 (2016), however, DOES include sexual orientation (gays), and this is the law under which the case falls:
"(2) (a) It is a discriminatory practice and unlawful for a person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold from, or deny to an individual or a group, because of disability, race, creed, color, sex,
sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry, the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation or, directly or indirectly, to publish, circulate, issue, display, post, or mail any written, electronic, or printed communication, notice, or advertisement that indicates that the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation will be refused, withheld from, or denied an individual or that an individual's patronage or presence at a place of public accommodation is unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable because of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry."