Tag Archives: public accommodations

INDIANA: Florist Refuses Service For Gay Wedding

The Indy Channel reports: A man claims the owner of a floral shop in Avon decided not to help with his wedding when she learned he was going to be marrying another man. David Elliott says he went to Avon Florist on Rockville Road on July 19 and he posted about what happened at the shop afterward on his Facebook …

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MICHIGAN: Republican Attorney General Rules LGBT Citizens Are Not Protected By Anti-Bias Laws [VIDEO]

The Detroit News reports: In a legal opinion sure to reverberate through his campaign for governor, Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette on Friday deemed “invalid” a new agency interpretation that had extended anti-discrimination protections to gay and transgender Michigan residents. The formal opinion was derided by a Democratic state lawmaker as an attempt to “trample” on the gay community but …

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HAWAII: State Supreme Court Rejects Hate Group’s Appeal On Behalf Of B&B That Turned Away Lesbians

Via press release from Lambda Legal: The Hawai`i Supreme Court today rejected a petition from a Hawai`i bed & breakfast seeking review of a lower court ruling that the business had violated Hawai’i’s anti-discrimination statute when it denied a room to a lesbian couple because of their sexual orientation. Aloha Bed & Breakfast, whose owner says same-sex relationships “defile our …

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ARIZONA: Hate Group Appeals To State Supreme Court In Bid To Overturn Phoenix LGBT Rights Ordinance

The Arizona Capitol Times reports: A Christian law firm is making a last-ditch effort to convince the state’s high court that businesses — at least some of them — have a constitutional right to refuse to sell their services and products to gays. In new legal filings, attorneys for Alliance Defending Freedom are telling the Arizona Supreme Court that the …

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Shortlisted GOP Senator Behind Bill To Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination “Would Not Say No” To SCOTUS

He probably wouldn’t even be the worst choice. Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) said in an interview Wednesday that he “would not say no” if he was asked by President Trump to serve on the Supreme Court as Justice Anthony Kennedy’s replacement. “I started watching Supreme Court arguments for fun when I was 10 years old. So if somebody asked …

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OHIO: State House Approves GOP Bill That Would Make It Legal To Deny Wedding Venues To Gay Couples

Cleveland.com reports: After spending months in limbo, legislation to give legal protection to ministers and religious groups who refuse to participate in same-sex marriages passed in the Ohio House on Wednesday. House Bill 36, the “Ohio Pastor Protection Act,” would shield licensed ministers and religious societies from any civil or criminal liability if they are unwilling to participate in a …

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Anti-Gay Oregon Baker Discusses “Open Pus-y Sores” Of Homosexuality With “Death To Gays” Pastor [AUDIO]

From the website of “death to gays” Pastor Kevin Swanson: The Oregon Supreme Court upheld the lower court rulings requiring that Aaron and Melissa Klein pay $135,000 for not baking a cake for a homosexual ceremony. Now they are appealing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here, we interview Aaron Klein on how they lost their little family bakery …

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BREAKING: SCOTUS Punts Case Of Anti-Gay Florist

Reuters reports: After siding with a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sent back to lower courts a similar dispute over a florist who declined to create flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding based on her Christian beliefs. The justices threw out a 2017 ruing by Washington state’s …

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OREGON: Supreme Court Rejects Appeal By Anti-Gay Bakers, Lawyers Vow To Take Their Case To SCOTUS

On Top Magazine reports: The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday denied review in a case involving a bakery that refused to serve a lesbian couple. “The court has considered the petition for review and orders that it be denied,” Oregon’s highest court said in its order. Late last year, the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Oregon …

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BREAKING: Arizona Appeals Court Upholds LGBT Protections In Ruling That Cites SCOTUS Cake Decision

LeGaL executive director Eric Lesh reports at Medium: In the first lower court ruling applying Masterpiece Cakeshop, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected the argument that business owners have a license to discriminate against same-sex couples in Brush & NIB Studio v City of Phoenix. This case was brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom. This shows that the Supreme Court’s …

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Log Cabin Republicans Hail “Wise” Cake Ruling

Via press release: When faced with the contentious issue of balancing religious freedom and LGBT equality, today the Supreme Court wisely decided to hit the pause button. There will be many on the left who will say that this ruling opens the door to rampant discrimination, and many on the right who will declare that this is a major milestone …

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DNC Chair Tom Perez: This Case Was Never About Cake

“This case was never just about a wedding cake. It was about all people– no matter who they are – having the right to celebrate their love without facing discrimination. The Democratic Party believes that no individual has a license to discriminate. We believe in the dignity of every human being. And we will continue to fight for equality for …

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Lambda Legal: We’ll Continue To Fight Establishment Of Evangelical Christianity As Our Official State Religion

Via press release from Lambda Legal: “The Court today has offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to LGBT people and people living with HIV. Religious freedom under our Constitution has always meant the right to believe whatever you wish but not to act on your beliefs in ways that harm others. The Court today alarmingly fails …

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ACLU: SCOTUS Ruling Leaves LGBT Protections Intact

Via press release from the ACLU: The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the core principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The court did not accept arguments that would have turned back the clock on equality by making our basic civil rights protections unenforceable, but reversed this case …

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules For Anti-Gay Baker

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Lakewood baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of religious beliefs did not violate Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. The case pitted Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, and the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins. The court ruled that the Colorado …

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BRITAIN: Supreme Court Hears Gay Cake Case

The Guardian reports: A bakery run by evangelical Christians is to launch a fresh attempt to overturn a £500 award made against it for refusing to bake a cake promoting same-sex marriage. Ashers bakery, which has branches in Northern Ireland and is financially supported by the Christian Institute, is taking its claim to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, which is …

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Tony Perkins: If Bars Can Refuse To Serve Trump Fans, Christians Should Be Able To Turn Away Gay Customers

Just in from hate group leader Tony Perkins: If Kanye West wears his “Make America Great Again” hat to a New York City bar, beware! He might not be served. When a Trump supporter sued The Happiest Hour for saying he wasn’t welcome, a Manhattan judge sided with the bar. As far as the court is concerned, if a business …

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INDIANA: Anti-Gay Pizza Shop Closes After 2015 Furor For Refusing To Cater Imaginary Same-Sex Wedding

The South Bend Tribune reports: Memories Pizza, the shop that became embroiled in the national debate over religious and civil rights and touched off a national media firestorm in 2015, has closed. A sign in the front window of the pizza shop says it was shuttered last month. Owners Kevin and Crystal O’Connor were the focus of intense criticism and …

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Conference Of Catholic Bishops Issue “Strong Support” Of Bill To Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination Nationwide

Via press release: Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, gave their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which was recently introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in …

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BREAKING: GOP Resurrects “First Amendment Defense Act” To Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination Nationwide

The Hill reports: A group of 22 GOP senators is reintroducing a controversial measure that would protect opponents of same-sex marriage from federal actions intended to curb discrimination. The First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) would bar the federal government from taking any action against individuals who discriminate against same-sex couples or others based on “a sincerely held religious belief.” The …

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