Tells them they can’t turn down gay business, because doing so is ‘discriminatory’.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals just made a landmark decision that could affect every Christian business person in America.
Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin of Albuquerque, New Mexico are the owners of Elane Photography. They also happen to be Christians who do their best to live and run their business by their Christian values.
In 2006, Vanessa Willock contacted Elane Photography and asked they would photograph her ‘commitment ceremony’ with her lesbian partner. Elaine Huguenin refused to accept the request based upon her Christian belief. Both Elaine and Jon felt strongly that the message being presented by the lesbian ceremony was against their Christian faith and therefore it would be wrong of them to participate in any fashion.
At the time, same-sex marriages and civil unions were not recognized as being legal in the state of New Mexico. Willock and her partner were attempting to do the next best thing in their minds by having a commitment ceremony.
After Elaine turned down the request, Willock filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. The complaint stated that the Huguenins had discriminated against Willock because of her sexual orientation. In the meantime, Willock secured another photographer to photo their sinful and perverse ceremony.In 2008, the New Mexico Human Rights Commission ruled that the Huguenins engaged in sexual orientation discrimination and ordered them to pay Willock $6,639.94 in legal fees. The case then went before a trial judge who upheld the commission’s decision.
We’ve had this kind of thing in Canada for years now. I remember, back in the day, neo-conservatives in Canada used to bash Canada, their own country, and crow about how much better Americans had it with their freedom of speech and rights to refuse business, and lack of tyrannical ‘human rights commissions’; this shows America has caught up to us…
