A Story of Courage: a Grandmother Who May Lose Her Home and Business for Not Serving a Gay Wedding

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If there was a way that a business’s refusal to provide wedding services to gay couples could be promoted and publicized in a long-lasting way, and letting the free market decide, I’d be for doing that instead of suing people.
 
Here is the same story from the Alliance Defending Freedom which is defending the florist.

It doesn’t sound to me as though she was discriminating against a customer on the basis of sexual orientation, since she had done business with the customer for years, knowing his orientation. Rather, she declined to participate in a particular event–a same sex wedding–which violated her Christian beliefs. It was the event, not the customer, to which she could not be a part.
 
JimG said:
Here is the same story from the Alliance Defending Freedom which is defending the florist.

It doesn’t sound to me as though she was discriminating against a customer on the basis of sexual orientation, since she had done business with the customer for years, knowing his orientation. Rather, she declined to participate in a particular event–a same sex wedding–which violated her Christian beliefs. It was the event, not the customer, to which she could not be a part.
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And as long as she declined to participate in anyone else’s wedding, she’d have been within the law.
 
I think there’s some sort of protection needed so that discrimination doesn’t refer to things such as this. In other words, there needs to be a distinction in the law between refusing to do any business with gay people as opposed to refusing to participate in gay weddings. In this woman’s case, she did not discriminate against the person based on him being gay as he was a long time customer, but only didn’t want to participate in a gay wedding which was against her beliefs.
 
^^

The comments on that article, wow, the bigots are out in full force. They are rejoicing that a 70 year old woman is suffering. Wow. The utter cold-heartedness of these people…
 
Stutzman said …
“A government that tells you what you can’t say is bad enough, but a government that tells you what you must say is terrifying,” Waggoner explained.
Code: 
“The lesson from the court’s decisions is that you put your home, your  family business, and your life savings at risk by daring to defy a  government mandate that forces you to promote views you believe are  wrong.”
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AyJSimon said:
If there was a way that a business’s refusal to provide wedding services to gay couples could be promoted and publicized in a long-lasting way, and letting the free market decide, I’d be for doing that instead of suing people.
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Ah, a classical liberal approach? I like it!

Especially considering that, of course, would be a positive promotion among most Christians. (Provided, of course, it’s not worded in such a way as to imply that this person hates homosexuals.)
 
TarkanAttila said:
Especially considering that, of course, would be a positive promotion among most Christians. (Provided, of course, it’s not worded in such a way as to imply that this person hates homosexuals.)
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“Serving traditional weddings only” seems fair for wording purposes, I think. You don’t want to keep it too vague and have gay people wandering in by mistake.
 
What about the argument of specialization?

One is a specialist in traditional weddings, and simply say “I don’t have the skills to do a same sex wedding due to my specialization.”

I’m sure there are same-sex wedding specialists out there, and that’s all they do. They don’t do traditional weddings because of their specialty.
 
BobCatholic said:
What about the argument of specialization?

One is a specialist in traditional weddings, and simply say “I don’t have the skills to do a same sex wedding due to my specialization.”

I’m sure there are same-sex wedding specialists out there.
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Such people may market themselves as “specialists,” but that doesn’t make it so. You can’t just claim it, you have to be able to support it. In court, if necessary.
 
Sorry to say folks, but this is only the beginning…things are going to get alot worse before they get better. We are not far away from the time when being a christian will a crime.

Jesus warned us there will be a time when people are thrown in prison and tortured because of him (their faith), but we must NEVER deny our faith during this time, no matter what man throws at you, you have to remember that Gods law trumps everything,
 
AyJSimon said:
“Serving traditional weddings only” seems fair for wording purposes, I think. You don’t want to keep it too vague and have gay people wandering in by mistake.
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Closed communion, no non-Mormons allowed, Traditional Catholics only… yeah, “traditional marriages only”, that’s got a nice ring to it, Mr. Simon.👍
 
BobCatholic said:
What about the argument of specialization?

One is a specialist in traditional weddings, and simply say “I don’t have the skills to do a same sex wedding due to my specialization.”

I’m sure there are same-sex wedding specialists out there, and that’s all they do. They don’t do traditional weddings because of their specialty.
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I don’t see how floral arrangements for a same sex wedding would differ from floral arrangements for a traditional wedding. The floral arrangements used at my wedding could just as easily have been used at a same sex wedding.

A same-sex wedding specialist should now have to be open to serving all customers or face the sort of penalties this woman is facing. If I were having a same-sex wedding, I would seek providers of services who were already known to support same-sex marriage.

The man in this instance was a long time customer. This helps explain why he is so angry. For years, she sold him flowers but now she refuses him service. Imagine how disappointing it must be for him to go to a florist he has used for years, knowing the high quality of her work, hoping to get the very best for his wedding, and be refused service. I would be angry too. I am not sure I would sue, however.
 
GCTSgrad said:
I don’t see how floral arrangements for a same sex wedding would differ from floral arrangements for a traditional wedding. The floral arrangements used at my wedding could just as easily have been used at a same sex wedding.

A same-sex wedding specialist should now have to be open to serving all customers or face the sort of penalties this woman is facing. If I were having a same-sex wedding, I would seek providers of services who were already known to support same-sex marriage.

The man in this instance was a long time customer. This helps explain why he is so angry. For years, she sold him flowers but now she refuses him service. Imagine how disappointing it must be for him to go to a florist he has used for years, knowing the high quality of her work, hoping to get the very best for his wedding, and be refused service. I would be angry too. I am not sure I would sue, however.
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That’s exactly the point. She never discriminated against him because of his sexual orientation. But she did object to being involved in a same sex marriage because it went against her religious views.

To give an extreme example, she might have provided flowers for some man that she knew had racist views. But if he asked her to prepare flowers for a KKK rally, she would surely decline.
 
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