HAWAII: Appeals Court Rules Against B&B That Turned Away Lesbian Couple Because They “Defile The Land”

Hawaii News Now reports:

Attorneys for California couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford are calling it a “great day for justice.” On Friday, Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling that found a Hawaii Kai bed and breakfast was discriminatory for refusing the lesbian couple a room because of their sexual orientation.

The women were represented by Lambda Legal, a nonprofit LGBTQ rights organization. “This has never been a case about the money,” said Jennifer Pizer of Lambda Legal. “It’s really been about a civil rights law that needs to protect everyone, it needs to be real and it needs to be followed. When people come for a vacation or other reasons to visit in Hawaii, everyone should be treated equally.”

Throughout the case, lawyers for the owner of Aloha Bed & Breakfast claimed Phyllis Young’s religious views allowed her to refuse to rent a room to a same-sex couple. Upon investigation, Young admitted to turning the women away because she felt that homosexual relationships were “detestable” and “defiled the land.”

Young was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom.