Washington attorney general sues florist over refusal to provide flowers for same-sex wedding
April 11, 2013
Bob Ferguson, the State of Washington’s attorney general, has announced that he is filing a consumer protection lawsuit against a florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding.
“Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation,” Ferguson stated in a press release. “If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service.”
Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers and Gifts in Richland, Washington, explained her decision not to provide flowers for a customer’s same-sex wedding.
“He said he decided to get married, and before he got through, I grabbed his hand and said, ‘I am sorry. I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Christ,’” she said. “We hugged each other, and he left, and I assumed it was the end of the story.”
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Further information:
- AG Ferguson files consumer protection action against Tri-Cities florist (Washington State Office of the Attorney General)
- AG sues florist who refused flowers to gay wedding (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
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Posted by: unum -
Apr. 11, 2013 6:18 PM ET USA
We are about to find out whether the First Amendment protection of our freedom of religion means anything at all. Between the Obama administration's attempt to define that freedom as applying only to certain religious institutions and others attempting to trump religious freedom with civil law, the issue is headed for SCOTUS. I admit that I am not hopeful, but I never completely underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit.
