Couple Fined For Refusing To Host Gay Wedding Shuts Down Venue

A Christian couple fined $13,000 for refusing to host a lesbian wedding on their New York farm has decided to close the venue rather than violate their religious beliefs.

Cynthia and Robert Gifford decided not to host ceremonies anymore, other than those already scheduled, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney James Trainor told The Blaze. ”Since the order essentially compelled them to do all ceremonies or none at all, they have chosen the latter in order to stay true to their religious convictions, even though it will likely hurt their business in the short run,” he said.

New Jersey couple Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin took the Giffords to court when they refused to host their 2012 wedding at Liberty Ridge Farm, where the Giffords host about a dozen weddings a year.

The Giffords were willing to host the reception, but not the actual ceremony.

A court ruled in favor of McCarthy and Erwin, and fined the Giffords $13,000 for refusing to host the ceremony.

No worries in finding a gay baker when you can't even have the wedding in the first place.

Funny how peoples so easily blame their belief in some false God to justify not respecting the rights of other peoples who don't follow their line of conduct. Sound easier than admitting they have issues...

Mike Roach said:

Funny how peoples so easily blame their belief in some false God to justify not respecting the rights of other peoples who don't follow their line of conduct. Sound easier than admitting they have issues...

Click to expand...

Funny how people have to push their feelings onto others to the point they have to close their business instead of being forced to accept something that goes against what they themselves believe.

A person has a legal right to be gay, yet another doesn't have a legal right to believe in GOD? Seems kind of one-sided to me. Just because you don't believe in GOD doesn't mean you should have the right to force others not to.

sheskunk said:

Funny how people have to push their feelings onto others to the point they have to close their business instead of being forced to accept something that goes against what they themselves believe.

A person has a legal right to be gay, yet another doesn't have a legal right to believe in GOD? Seems kind of one-sided to me. Just because you don't believe in GOD doesn't mean you should have the right to force others not to.

Click to expand...

Make no mistake you can prostrate as much as you want and for whatever God you want to believe in. Civil rights have precedence over religion. Don't hang a "no gays" sign at your door as they come from the same small mind as the "no blacks" sign

Mike Roach said:

Make no mistake you can prostrate as much as you want and for whatever God you want to believe in. Civil rights have precedence over religion. Don't hang a "no gays" sign at your door as they come from the same small mind as the "no blacks" sign

Click to expand...

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

sheskunk said:

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

Click to expand...

Segregation ring a bell?

This just in gay football player that wasn't very good got cut... if he was any other 7th round draft pick that got cut no one would care... media makes mountains out of mole hills...

sheskunk said:

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

Click to expand...

Why should we allow you to exclude those who don't follow your way? are you so better than others?

sheskunk said:

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

Click to expand...

I agree, but they could have just said "No", instead of "No Gays".

sheskunk said:

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

Click to expand...

An apartment, employer and doctors office are other examples of "private business's"
Where do we draw the line on discrimination?

Why have I not heard the same Christians with such strong belief in the word of God complaining about having to serve adulterers?
After all both "sins" are punishable by death so fornicators must be equally repulsive to these religious business owners, I bet they're not though and rightly so, it's all BS playing the religion card to hide good ol' fashioned bigotry , I see no difference between these people and what the WBC do except for the theatrics of the latter, essentially the message going out is the same.

sheskunk said:

A Christian couple fined $13,000 for refusing to host a lesbian wedding on their New York farm has decided to close the venue rather than violate their religious beliefs.

Cynthia and Robert Gifford decided not to host ceremonies anymore, other than those already scheduled, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney James Trainor told The Blaze. ”Since the order essentially compelled them to do all ceremonies or none at all, they have chosen the latter in order to stay true to their religious convictions, even though it will likely hurt their business in the short run,” he said.

New Jersey couple Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin took the Giffords to court when they refused to host their 2012 wedding at Liberty Ridge Farm, where the Giffords host about a dozen weddings a year.

The Giffords were willing to host the reception, but not the actual ceremony.

A court ruled in favor of McCarthy and Erwin, and fined the Giffords $13,000 for refusing to host the ceremony.

Click to expand...

What a bunch of douches... They probably would've made at least $13K off the ceremony.

As long as their money is green who gives a flying fuck...

sheskunk said:

I just have a hard time in believing in a system that forces people to do things beyond ones beliefs. A privately owned business should be just that, private. I should have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. Don't like it, then simply go down the street. The only person being harmed here is the business owner. Not only do the gays not get their wedding, but now the business has to close. What did any of this do to help anyone? "If I can't have it no one can." I guess.

Click to expand...

You should turn your sandwich shop into a private sandwich club.

Clubs are different, they may freely deny service to anyone they deem inappropriate.

Turn your businesses into clubs if you really feel the need to observe religious beliefs that currently oppose law.

MMMmmmm, club sandwich.

Good businessmen follow a reasonable motto:
We don't discriminate, if you are buying we are selling.

Religious people don't always follow good business practices, this thread is proof.

Unfortunately if businesses were allowed to discriminate based on some of these religious beliefs this would lead to massive amounts of people who would be under served.

In rural locations this would essentially force populations of certain demographics to move, populations shifts.

Then again some of the folks here would love those events to occur.

Yes eventually the market may fix itself, this would be after many millions of people were denied services and all the other social and civil unrest has occurred. Not optimal, also idealistic and naive.

fr3d12 said:

Why have I not heard the same Christians with such strong belief in the word of God complaining about having to serve adulterers?
After all both "sins" are punishable by death so fornicators must be equally repulsive to these religious business owners, I bet they're not though and rightly so, it's all BS playing the religion card to hide good ol' fashioned bigotry , I see no difference between these people and what the WBC do except for the theatrics of the latter, essentially the message going out is the same.

Click to expand...

How the fuck would Christian business owners know they were dealing with adulterers?
Progressive socialists, got to love um.

God came to me in a dream last night and told me he's not real.

not to be the devils advocate but .what evere happened to "we have the right to refuse service" signs it should be that they must post them if its not posted then they recieve a fine for refusing service. then as the public we can refuse busineses that refuse service ,if they choose ,then society keeps them in business or not .then its not done by the government but by the people.

Mike Roach said:

Make no mistake you can prostrate as much as you want and for whatever God you want to believe in. Civil rights have precedence over religion. Don't hang a "no gays" sign at your door as they come from the same small mind as the "no blacks" sign

Click to expand...

It's wrong to compare opposition to homosexual marriage to the attitude toward blacks.

The Christian Bible absolutely condemns homosexuality. No ifs, ands, or butts (pun intended). Yet it promotes treating all races equally good, even though the architects and supporters of slavery and oppression of blacks didn't quite get the message. They were/are obviously idiots in their own right.

So I can see why some Christians would want to refuse participation in the marriage of gays. Keep in mind that the business in question was fully prepared to host the reception; just not the ceremony of marriage which they believe is forbidden by God. It's their business what they do because of their religious beliefs.

The business didn't treat the gays like they didn't want to be around them. To the contrary. They simply refused to perform a service that they believe is definitely forbidden by the Bible they trust in.

Would you go into a restaurant run by Jews or Muslims and expect them to serve you bacon? And then sue them if they refused?

Progressives (socialists) aren't happy unless their views are forced upon everyone.
Never have figured out why they coddle muslims and revile Christians.

They shouldn't have publicly discriminated based on sexual orientation, but simply refused service without a reason given. THAT is their right.