"Relationship with Jesus" Doesn't Justify Refusal of Service
Florist rejects settlement offer after state judge rules "relationship with Jesus" doesn't justify refusal to service gay wedding
(Photo: Daily Signal)
Washington florist Barronelle Stutzman, 70, rejected Washington state Attorney General's settlement offer after the court ruled she can't refuse service to same-sex weddings. The offer was to settle a discrimination case by paying a $2,000 fine and agreeing to sell bouquets for same-sex ceremonies in the future.
In a letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Stutzman wrote that gay couples are allowed to act on their views, but "because I follow the Bible's teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs."
Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom rejected arguments that the Washington florist's actions were protected by her freedomes of speech and religion.
Attorney General Ferguson said Thursday that the goal of his settlement offer was aimed at avoiding bad publicity. He offered to settle for $2,000 - the fine for violations of the law - and a $1 payment for legal fees provided that Stutzman would agree not to discriminate against same-sex couples from now on.
"My primary goal has always been to bring an end to the defendants' unlawful conduct and to make clear that I will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," Ferguson said in a news release.
-by Sarah Furlong
