Florist Sued for Refusing Service to Gay Couple Pens Defiant Letter Rejecting Gov’t Settlement Offer

[Ravi]

LOL I love how anything anti homo gets the girl's panties in a twist. Does every leftist have underlying homosexual desires?

No, homosexuals are a preferred group by the party. Rati the racist rodent lives only to serve the party.

What the leftists do is apply privilege to preferred groups, whilst denying civil rights to the public at large. If the party favors you, you are showered with any and all privilege. If not, then you have no rights are all.

Christians are protected by the same law.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

She never refused to sell them flowers. That would be discrimination. What she refused to sell was her artistry. An artist should always have the right to refuse their artistry to anyone for any reason or no reason.

So, a guy paints a picture, puts it up for sale, and then a fag tries to buy it and the guy says no, I don't sell to fags? Yeah, ain't gonna happen. In business the only criteria that matters is whether the check clears.

 

[ogibillm]

LOL I love how anything anti homo gets the girl's panties in a twist. Does every leftist have underlying homosexual desires?

No, homosexuals are a preferred group by the party. Rati the racist rodent lives only to serve the party.

What the leftists do is apply privilege to preferred groups, whilst denying civil rights to the public at large. If the party favors you, you are showered with any and all privilege. If not, then you have no rights are all.

what special privilege would that be - the ability to buy flowers?

what civil rights have been violated?

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Christians are protected by the same law.

Damn shame at this point. They seem to have forgotten what we don't serve your kind here means? Then again, they were always the ones saying that.

 

[Dana7360]

She sounds like an old crank.

I'd be cranky also if the homos and state attacked my business

No one has attacked her business.

Ugh...yeah right. The homos couldn't find a homo florist? Yeaaahh right

In Benton county? Are you kidding me?

It's a rural area with only around 175 thousand people. The gay people who live there probably are very careful so they aren't killed by one of the redneck homophobes.

You don't know anything about that area. I do. If there's any business owned by a gay person they don't let the public know they're gay. It would ruin their business and put their safety in jeopardy. I would be extremely shocked to know there was a gay florist in one of those small towns.

The gay florist is hundreds of miles away in either the Seattle area or in the Spokane area. Which no florist in those areas are going to drive the several hundred miles out to the middle of no where Benton county.

 

[Asclepias]

Being discriminatory against gay people is about as relativist as it gets.

I'm discriminatory against pan handlers - should I be punished?

You should if you wont sell them something simply because they are panhandlers and you are in business.

 

[Iceweasel]

Where in her religion is it written that she cannot arrange flowers for a wedding?

Where does it say she can't do it for a pornographers convention? Use your fucking brain.

Pornographers aren't covered as a group that can't be discriminated against in that state.

You missed the point. Really badly too. You asked where it was in the Bible, RETARD.

No, you missed the point. You said she couldn't be forced to do something against her religion. There is nothing in the bible that prohibits her from arranging flowers for a gay wedding. Not to mention that she volunteered to follow local laws when she decided to be a florist.

Though thanks for this little back and forth. It is against her religion to lie, and that is exactly what she's done by agreeing to abide by local laws and then playing the religion card.

That's stupid. She was supposed to close shop the second she heard gay marriage passed? Laws are challenged all the time, sometimes successfully. And she would have won, should have won. Like I said, use your brain, the Bible doesn't say not to set up a pornographer convention, it would bother most Christians, especially conservatives.

I don't agree with ANY forced association laws but the irony is the same assholes that challenged the laws to force homosexual marriage on us are the same assholes that are saying it's the law, deal with it. No finer example of hypocrisy exists.

 

[Ravi]

Christians are protected by the same law.

Damn shame at this point. They seem to have forgotten what we don't serve your kind here means? Then again, they were always the ones saying that.

Especially the fundies. They used to even say that to Catholics.

 

[Iceweasel]

When a person gets a business license they fill out forms with the state. One of those forms says that the business owner will comply with all of the laws of the state.

That's a lie. I've been in business here 28+ years and never saw any such paperwork. Lying, smearing and slander is the militant's MO.

 

[Ravi]

Where in her religion is it written that she cannot arrange flowers for a wedding?

Where does it say she can't do it for a pornographers convention? Use your fucking brain.

Pornographers aren't covered as a group that can't be discriminated against in that state.

You missed the point. Really badly too. You asked where it was in the Bible, RETARD.

No, you missed the point. You said she couldn't be forced to do something against her religion. There is nothing in the bible that prohibits her from arranging flowers for a gay wedding. Not to mention that she volunteered to follow local laws when she decided to be a florist.

Though thanks for this little back and forth. It is against her religion to lie, and that is exactly what she's done by agreeing to abide by local laws and then playing the religion card.

That's stupid. She was supposed to close shop the second she heard gay marriage passed? Laws are challenged all the time, sometimes successfully. And she would have won, should have won. Like I said, use your brain, the Bible doesn't say not to set up a pornographer convention, it would bother most Christians, especially conservatives.

I don't agree with ANY forced association laws but the irony is the same assholes that challenged the laws to force homosexual marriage on us are the same assholes that are saying it's the law, deal with it. No finer example of hypocrisy exists.

Damn. What the bible says doesn't matter when it comes to non-discrimination law. Unless a part of her religion states that she may not sell floral arrangements to gay people. There is no such bible passage.

 

[Uncensored2008]

The comparison doesnt make much sense, and also my original post in this thread was AGAINST any punishment for the florist.

It makes perfect sense.

The party has declared homosexuality a preferred behavior.. The party promotes homosexuality in entertainment, in schools, and every aspect of life. In some cases, enemies of the party have decided that they can oppose homosexuality - the party will not tolerate this. These miscreants point to the arcane 1st Amendment of the old republic - as if the party recognized such outdated ideas.

This florist thinks she has civil rights - she thinks she has the right to decide who to sell her time to - the same as you have the right to decide where to shop and spend your money. Clearly this must never be allowed - the party dictates what people will do. Privilege is assigned to groups favored by the party. The idea that people have rights must be crushed under the heel of the party.

I just think shes a douche bag like all the other anti gay busy body douche bags out there.

Your party agrees - and says that those not liked must be punished.

Obey the party, or suffer. Fools think there are civil rights - the party will disabuse them of such a notion.

 

[Ravi]

Where in her religion is it written that she cannot arrange flowers for a wedding?

Where does it say she can't do it for a pornographers convention? Use your fucking brain.

Pornographers aren't covered as a group that can't be discriminated against in that state.

You missed the point. Really badly too. You asked where it was in the Bible, RETARD.

No, you missed the point. You said she couldn't be forced to do something against her religion. There is nothing in the bible that prohibits her from arranging flowers for a gay wedding. Not to mention that she volunteered to follow local laws when she decided to be a florist.

Though thanks for this little back and forth. It is against her religion to lie, and that is exactly what she's done by agreeing to abide by local laws and then playing the religion card.

That's stupid. She was supposed to close shop the second she heard gay marriage passed? Laws are challenged all the time, sometimes successfully. And she would have won, should have won. Like I said, use your brain, the Bible doesn't say not to set up a pornographer convention, it would bother most Christians, especially conservatives.

I don't agree with ANY forced association laws but the irony is the same assholes that challenged the laws to force homosexual marriage on us are the same assholes that are saying it's the law, deal with it. No finer example of hypocrisy exists.

And btw, there were no laws against homosexual marriage until the bigots passed them.

 

[Iceweasel]

She has freedom of religion.

Apparently not.

No one is stopping her from practicing her religion. She just doesnt get to extend that practice to discriminating against the public sector while doing business.

It's a privately owned business, not a public sector business. People discriminate all the time, often it's the right thing to do. I turned down work for Planned Parenthood on principle. She might not want to serve pornographers either, all members of the "public sector".

 

[Asclepias]

She has freedom of religion.

Apparently not.

No one is stopping her from practicing her religion. She just doesnt get to extend that practice to discriminating against the public sector while doing business.

It's a privately owned business, not a public sector business. People discriminate all the time, often it's the right thing to do. I turned down work for Planned Parenthood on principle. She might not want to serve pornographers either, all members of the "public sector".

If they sell to the public it doesnt matter. They will obey the laws or be penalized.

 

[Katzndogz]

Pornography like homosexuality is a behavior.

 

[HenryBHough]

Seems like some great campaign material is being generated in this travesty!

 

[Iceweasel]

Where does it say she can't do it for a pornographers convention? Use your fucking brain.

Pornographers aren't covered as a group that can't be discriminated against in that state.

You missed the point. Really badly too. You asked where it was in the Bible, RETARD.

No, you missed the point. You said she couldn't be forced to do something against her religion. There is nothing in the bible that prohibits her from arranging flowers for a gay wedding. Not to mention that she volunteered to follow local laws when she decided to be a florist.

Though thanks for this little back and forth. It is against her religion to lie, and that is exactly what she's done by agreeing to abide by local laws and then playing the religion card.

That's stupid. She was supposed to close shop the second she heard gay marriage passed? Laws are challenged all the time, sometimes successfully. And she would have won, should have won. Like I said, use your brain, the Bible doesn't say not to set up a pornographer convention, it would bother most Christians, especially conservatives.

I don't agree with ANY forced association laws but the irony is the same assholes that challenged the laws to force homosexual marriage on us are the same assholes that are saying it's the law, deal with it. No finer example of hypocrisy exists.

Damn. What the bible says doesn't matter when it comes to non-discrimination law. Unless a part of her religion states that she may not sell floral arrangements to gay people. There is no such bible passage.

Like there isn't about pornographers. To you it's all a big coincidence that so many Christians oppose something that "isn't in the Bible". You can't connect any dots.

 

[bodecea]

A Christian florist who was sued and found guilty of discrimination after refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding isn’t planning on backing down, recently issuing a defiant letter rejecting a settlement agreement and revealing plans to appeal her case.

After Barronelle Stutzman, 70, declined a $2,001 settlement offer in a letter to the state’s attorney general on Friday, her attorney, Kristen Waggoner, senior counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal firm, told TheBlaze on Monday that a judge’s decision that Stutzman violated anti-discrimination law will be challenged in the state court system.

As previously reported, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom decided last week that Barronelle Stutzman violated Washington’s Law Against Discrimination and Consumer Protection Act when she refused service to Robert Ingersoll and his partner, Curt Freed.

The state subsequently offered a settlement in which Waggoner would only need to pay a $2,000 fine and $1 in legal fees and commit to offering flowers for gay and straight weddings, alike, if she continues providing matrimony services, the Daily Mail reported.



But the florist declined the offer, with Waggoner telling TheBlaze that nothing new or protective was afforded to her client.

“Attorney General [Bob Ferguson] has relentlessly pursued her personal and professional ruin because she will not celebrate same-sex marriage. His settlement proposal offered nothing new,” she said. “The attorney general continues to pursue her business and personal assets unless she agrees to stop designing wedding arrangements and providing wedding support services for all weddings.”

Waggoner said that the government continues to send a message that artists like Stutzman will be punished if they do not embrace gay relationships.

“The government’s message is the same: as an artist, you must use your heart, mind, and hands to promote same-sex marriage or you will lose everything,” Waggoner said.

The attorney’s comments come after Stutzman penned a response letter to Ferguson, rejecting his offer and defending her religious beliefs. In it, she wrote that it has been “exhausting” to be at the center of the controversy over the past two years and said that she never imagined that her “God-given talents and abilities” would become illegal if she refused to use them to serve same-sex weddings.

“Since 2012, same-sex couples all over the state have been free to act on their beliefs about marriage, 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,” she wrote.

Stutzman specifically took aim at Ferguson’s settlement offer, claiming that it shows that he truly doesn’t understand her intention to defend her religious liberty.

“Your offer reveals that you don’t really understand me or what this conflict is all about. It’s about freedom, not money,” she wrote. “I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important.”

Stutzman continued, “Washington’s constitution guarantees us ‘freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.’ I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do.”

Read the letter in its entirety below:

Dear Mr. Ferguson,

Thank you for reaching out and making an offer to settle your case against me.

As you may imagine, it has been mentally and emotionally exhausting to be at the center of this controversy for nearly two years. I never imagined that using my God-given talents and abilities, and doing what I love to do for over three decades, would become illegal. Our state would be a better place if we respected each other’s differences, and our leaders protected the freedom to have those differences. Since 2012, same-sex couples all over the state have been free to act on their beliefs about marriage, 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.

Your offer reveals that you don’t really understand me or what this conflict is all about. It’s about freedom, not money. I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my home, and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important. Washington’s constitution guarantees us “freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment.” I cannot sell that precious freedom. You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver. That is something I will not do.

I pray that you reconsider your position. I kindly served Rob for nearly a decade and would gladly continue to do so. I truly want the best for my friend. I’ve also employed and served many members of the LGBT community, and I will continue to do so regardless of what happens with this case. You chose to attack my faith and pursue this not simply as a matter of law, but to threaten my very means of working, eating, and having a home. If you are serious about clarifying the law, then I urge you to drop your claims against my home, business, and other assets and pursue the legal claims through the appeal process. Thanks again for writing and I hope you will consider my offer.

Sincerely,

Barronelle Stutzman

Waggoner said that the letter was meant to affirm that Stutzman will not be giving up by surrendering her freedom for money.

“In what world is $2,001 a good deal for surrendering your freedom?” Waggoner said.

Florist Sued for Refusing Service to Gay Couple Pens Defiant Letter Rejecting Gov t Settlement Offer and Her Attorney Reveals What s Next TheBlaze.com

I have a wonderful solution.....arrange to have all businesses that SHE wants to buy from refuse to serve her due to her Christianity.....grocery store? Sorry. Bank? Nope. Clothing Store? Sorry, we don't serve your kind. Etc. Let's see how long that lasts.

 

[Katzndogz]

The florist sells flowers. She never refused to sell flowers. She was obeying all laws and did not discriminate.

 

[Iceweasel]

She has freedom of religion.

Apparently not.

No one is stopping her from practicing her religion. She just doesnt get to extend that practice to discriminating against the public sector while doing business.

It's a privately owned business, not a public sector business. People discriminate all the time, often it's the right thing to do. I turned down work for Planned Parenthood on principle. She might not want to serve pornographers either, all members of the "public sector".

If they sell to the public it doesnt matter. They will obey the laws or be penalized.

Duh. So sodomy laws were OK. Got it.