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“The government can’t force citizens to surrender free speech rights or religious freedom in order to run a small business, and this decision affirms that,” Campbell said. This is contrary to established constitutional law.”ĪDF says that it is pleased with the outcome and is in agreement with the court’s conclusion. “The Commission’s order substantially burdens HOO’s and its owners’ free exercise of religion, wherein the government punished HOO and its owners by its order for their sincerely held religious beliefs.
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“Nonetheless, the Commission punished HOO for declining to print messages advocating sexual activity to which HOO and its owners strongly oppose on sincerely held religious grounds,” the court continued. “There is further evidence in the Commission record that it is standard practice within the promotional printing industry to decline to print materials containing messages that the owners do not want to support.” “Those print orders that were refused by HOO included shirts promoting a strip club, pens promoting a sexually explicit video and shirts containing a violence-related message,” it explained. The court noted that from 2010-2012 Hands on Originals declined 13 orders from various groups because of the message that was to be printed. It has treated homosexual and heterosexual groups the same,” it declared. “The Commission … says that it is not trying to infringe on the constitutional rights of HOO, but is seeking only to have HOO ‘… treat everyone the same.’ Yet, HOO has demonstrated in this record that it has done just that. “In point of fact, there is nothing in the record before the Commission that the sexual orientation of any individual that had contact with HOO was ever divulged or played any part in this case.” “In short, HOO’s (Hands on Originals) declination to print the shirts was based upon the message of GLSO and the Pride Festival and not on the sexual orientation of its representatives or members,” the court wrote in its 16-page decision. On Monday, the circuit court reversed Munson’s ruling, noting that the company regularly does business with homosexuals, and so the decision not to print the shirts was not based on any person’s sexuality, but rather the message that the company would be forced to convey. “A book editor or ghostwriter could be forced to write a book advocating messages they find contrary to their convictions based on this ruling.” Follow one should be forced by the government to endorse or promote ideas with which they disagree,” Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Legal Counsel Jim Campbell told reporters.But if there’s a specific message that conflicts with my convictions, then I can’t promote that.”ĭuring a hearing regarding the matter last June, GSLO representative Aaron Baker admitted to the commission that his desire to force Christians to print pro-homosexual messages works both ways, and that the homosexual companies could be forced to print messages that are against homosexuality. “I want the truth to come out-it’s not that we have a sign on the front door that says, ‘No Gays Allowed,’” owner Blaine Adamson said following the filing of the complaint. When manager Blaine Adamson declined the order due to the company’s biblical convictions, GLSO filed a complaint with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Human Rights Commission. In the first decision of its kind upholding the rights of a Christian business, an appeals court has ruled that a Christian t-shirt company did not violate the law when it declined to print t-shirts for a local “gay pride” event.Īs previously reported, the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization of Lexington (GLSO) had wanted the company Hand On Originals–a company that identifies as “Christian outfitters” on the home page of its website–to print t-shirts for the 2012 Lexington Gay Pride Festival.