Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, poses for a photo outside of her Richland, Washington, floral shop.
Posted on 02/21/2015 10:27:36 AM PST by NYer
Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, poses for a photo outside of her Richland, Washington, floral shop.
Putting florist, grandmother and devout Southern Baptist Barronelle Stutzman out of business was not enough for some Washington state officials. She could lose her home and life savings as well after a Washington superior court judge ruled that she violated the state's anti-discrimination law because she declined to provide flowers for a same-sex couple's wedding due to her religious convictions.
After Benton County Superior Court Judge ruled on Wednesday that Stutzman violated the law when she refused to provide floral arrangements for the wedding of Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed in 2013, the possibility became real that Stutzman can lose her business, home, savings and other personal assets once a summary judgement is reached, according to Stutzman's lawyer Kristen Waggoner.
"The lesson from the court's decisions is that you put your home, your family business, and your life at risk by daring to defy a government mandate that forces you to promote views you believe are wrong," Waggoner, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement. "A government that tells you what you can't say is bad enough but a government that tells you what you must say is terrifying."
Although Stutzman, who is the owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland, has received thousands of hate letters, insults and threats from LGBT activists who decry her as prejudiced for not providing flowers to Ingersoll and Freed's wedding, Stutzman willfully served all of Ingersoll's floral requests for the nine years that Ingersoll came to her shop to buy flowers for Freed.
"She had established a really warm relationship with Rob Ingersoll, who had been in for nine years and come in and spent a good amount of money throughout the years and they had gotten to know each other pretty well," Waggoner said in a video posted to ADF website.
"He has a very creative mind and we just kind of hit it off," Stutzman admitted.
In the video, Stutzman discusses how she prepared many floral arrangements for Ingersoll over the years. She explained that she had no problem making flowers for Ingersoll and Freed to send to one another.
But a few months after gay marriage was passed in Washington in 2012, Ingersoll came to the shop and told Stutzman that he was getting married and he wanted her to provide the flowers for the wedding. Stutzman was caught in a tough spot as she did not want to hurt her friend's feelings and did not want defy her religious convictions that tell her that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
"It was a real struggle to decide what to do with that. My husband and I talked it over and as much as I loved Rob, I just couldn't be a part of that," Stutzman asserted. "If I did Rob's wedding, it would be from my heart because I think he is a really special person and I would want to make it really special for him. It wasn't something that I said, 'Oh, I'm not going to do Rob's wedding because he is gay.'"
"I think most artistic people, especially painters, they put their heart into their arrangements as part of them and part of who they are. I think that is the same thing with a florist," Stutzman added.
When Stutzman told Ingersoll that she would not be able to service his wedding, she did not expect to receive backlash. The news of Stutzman's denial of service for a gay wedding hit social media and stirred outrage and even caught the attention of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
Ferguson's office later filed a lawsuit on behalf of Washington state against Stutzman, after sending Stutzman a letter demanding that she service gay weddings. Even though no official complaint was filed against Stutzman, Ferguson's office pursued the lawsuit and accused Stutzman and her business of violating the state's non-discrimination laws.
"The attorney general's action in this case is unprecedented in Washington state," Waggoner explained. "We have never had an attorney general take the position that this attorney general has taken."
After news of the state's lawsuit against Stutzman broke, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the gay couple, even though Waggoner says the couple admitted getting offers from over 20 different florists to provide flowers for their wedding for free.
In January, Judge Eckstrom ruled that Stutzman could also be sued on a personal level in addition to being sued on a business capacity. Stutzman is not only at risk of paying the $2,000 fine for violating the state's discrimination law, but is also at risk of having to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees, which could result in her losing her home and business, Waggoner claims.
"She is at great risk as a result of serving someone lovingly and in a kind way for nine years," Waggoner said. "Because you won't do one same sex wedding, you are going to lose your house or your business and she's been working in this business for 40 years."
Waggoner said penalizing someone for acting on their own religious beliefs violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Waggoner said ADF plans to appeal the judge's ruling.
"This is about marriage. It's not about bigotry. She knew of their [homosexual] relationship. She provided flowers that she sent to each other. But when it came to marriage, that was the line. Because, as she will tell you, 'Marriage represents the relationship of Christ and His church.' It's a sacred covenant," Waggoner contends. "This case is coercing someone to engage in expression and that is against America's tradition and it's unconstitutional."
Even though Stutzman is being portrayed by critics and some media outlets as an intolerable anti-homosexual, Stutzman has employed many homosexuals in her shop in the past.
"I have hired all walks of people in different circumstances, and had the privilege of working with some very talented people that happen to be gay," Stutzman wrote in a Facebook post. "Since that day, we have received many comments on same-sex marriages. I believe, biblically, that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is my conviction, yours may be different."
Despite the countless hate letters she received, Stutzman said that she also receives letters of support from Christians all around the world encouraging her to stand strong in her Christian convictions.
"I have to have faith that He is going to protect me and give me the courage, the knowledge and the wisdom to stand firm on this," Stutzman asserted. "This has also helped me understand what obedience is and… what following Christ is. You can't sit on the fence and like He says, 'You can't be lukewarm.' That's what I was. I was lukewarm."
He wasn't a friend - she just thought he was.
A friend would have said:
"I don't agree with your views but I believe you have a right to hold them and are sincere in your beliefs.
I will buy my flower arrangements from someone who does not object to homosexual marriage."
Instead, he turned on her with a viciousness all out of proportion to the claimed offense.
People who are obsessed with their sexual proclivities and think with their sex organs are mentally ill.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned homo.
A scorned homosexual makes a scorned heterosexual woman look like a cuddly pussycat.
“The first amendment protects the right to peacefully assemble for the purpose of business...”
___________
I don’t think it says anything about business in the First Amendment. I think this judge would say that if the business does not want to offer their services to everybody, then they have to close their business to everybody. I think that is their ultimate goal. To close business that won’t do business with them.
One of the weird things about the story is how the Plaintiff and the Respondent had a long, positive, business relationship in the past. That was her first mistake...
The older house we are just closing is 1/2 mile away from her store. I’ve seen Arlene around for years.
If you’d like to support her fight against tyranny by the state government, info on online purchases from Arlene’s Flowers in this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3259722/posts
If you are serious, take a look at what the Christian man (last name Jack?) from Castle Rock, CO has done.
His case is now before the Colorado Human Rights Commission.
His case has been discussed at some length here on FR.
Just do a lousy job.Photos terribly out of focus....cake looking,and tasting,horrible....flowers looking wilted and colorless,etc.When the complaint comes,apologize profusely (not meaning a word of it of course) and offer a refund.Word would get around the pervert community that your work is horrible and they'd never darken your door again.
The operative word is ‘effectively’, and indeed it has.
I react like you do but I can assure you that’s not what Mrs. Stuztman wants.
Great quote! Thanks for sharing.
So, of course that will stop them, right??
She can thank them for their support as they remove her from her home and shut down her business.
Here is her letter:
Attorney General Bob Ferguson
1125 Washington St. SE
P.O. Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504
Re: State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers and Barronelle Stutzman
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
Available here: http://www.adfmedia.org/files/ArlenesFlowersSettlementOfferResponse.pdf
The lesson is these people are sick. All efforts to normalize their sickness and tolerate it is just what got this woman burned. Jeb Bush just appointed a homosexual to be his campaign spokesperson and idiot conservatives go on twitter and RT crap from “Gay Conservative” as if there can be such a thing. Its time to start pushing back and I see at least a few look ready. Sad thing is when they come for your home or your job it will probably be too late because when it happened to others all we did was post online our “outrage” and then continue to support rinos. Any candidate that supports homosexual “marriage” shold be tossed out of the GOP. It is a symptom of a much larger problem/cancer within.
Lots of good details here:
Here they are. Robert Ingersoll, left, and Curt Freed. No different than Germans who feigned friendship with Jews for decades, then at the first opportunity, turned them over to the Gestapo. It's not called the "Gaystapo" for nothing. Two smiling Nazis.
"To learn, who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."~~Voltaire
“replace the chocolate in the cakes with Ex-Lax, and lace the “bride’s” bouquet with poison ivy...that should make for an interesting honeymoon.”
And one heck of a criminal lawsuit against them! It would be funny to do, but highly illegal.
Can she counter-sue for violating her rights of religious freedom?
I think you are going to find some going postal in the future instead of acting like sheep IMO.
At some point all this BS will hit a wall of outrage and response to all the garbage.
People will only be civil while getting kicked in the nuts for so long. Eventually leftists and their courts are going to bother people enough to take action back.
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