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NY Farm Couple Must Still Pay Thousands in Fine for Refusing to Host Gay Wedding
http://www.breakingchristiannews.com ^ | 1/15/16 | News Staff

Posted on 01/16/2016 2:46:47 PM PST by kindred

"All Robert and I want is the freedom to peacefully live and work faithfully on our family farm and according to what God says about marriage without fear of government punishment. The America we love is one where we respect each other's differences, and the government still protects the freedom to have those differences. Others have the freedom to say or not say what they want to about marriage, and that's all we are asking for, as well." -Cynthia Gifford

(New York)—[CBN News] A New York court has upheld a state decision to fine a farm couple for refusing to host a lesbian wedding on their property. (Photo via LifeSiteNews)

The New York Division of Human Rights ruled in July 2014 that Cynthia and Robert Gifford were guilty of "sexual orientation discrimination" for refusing to allow Melisa and Jennifer McCarthy to use their "place of public accommodation" for their same-sex ceremony.

The Giffords said doing so would violate their conscience, but invited the two women to use their property for their reception site.

The state agency has ordered the Giffords to pay a fine of $10,000 plus $3,000 in damages and ordered them to implement re-education training classes.

On Thursday, the New York Supreme Court appellate division upheld the order and fines.

Melisa McCarthy originally called Cynthia Gifford in 2012 to ask about the use of Gifford's farm for her upcoming same-sex ceremony. [Because of her Christian faith's teachings on marriage, Cynthia politely told McCarthy that she and her husband don't host and coordinate same-sex ceremonies but left open an invitation to visit the farm to consider it as a potential reception site. Instead, McCarthy and her partner filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights.]

Caleb Dalton, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom who represented the Giffords, said "the government went after both this couple's freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property."

"The court should have rejected this unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion, so we will consult with our client regarding appeal," he said.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Indiana; US: Kentucky; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 14thamendment; 1stamendment; calebdalton; cynthiagifford; firstamendment; fourteenthamendment; gaykkk; homosexualagenda; indiana; jennifermccarthy; kentucky; kimdavis; libertarians; medicalmarijuana; melisamccarthy; mikepence; newyork; rfra; robertgifford
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To: dandiegirl

This is not in NYC.....the farm is a short distance from Albany.


21 posted on 01/16/2016 3:18:54 PM PST by tenthirteen
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

"Fundamental Transformation of,
and Death to, America!"


22 posted on 01/16/2016 3:22:01 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: MeshugeMikey

If you cared to look instead of running your keyboard you might realize this farm is not in NYC. It is about 200 miles north of there.

You major in drama perhaps?


23 posted on 01/16/2016 3:22:04 PM PST by tenthirteen
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To: BigEdLB

Pay the fines, and leave the state. Tell the Marxist bureaucrats to shove the reducation camps deep up their rectums.

I wonder what would the penalty be for not paying the fines? I doubt that NY could actually seize their property.


24 posted on 01/16/2016 3:23:35 PM PST by 82nd Bragger (Count to four except when in a helicopter)
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To: kindred

Am I missing something here? This couple owns a farm, period. They are not in the business of hosting weddings or other social functions. Their business is farming, and nothing else. However, because this gay couple thought their farm would be a nice setting in which to hold their wedding, the couple that owns the property has no choice but to accommodate their request? So, if a gay couple decides my backyard would be a nice place for a wedding, I have to grant them use of my property? Again, am I missing something here?


25 posted on 01/16/2016 3:27:29 PM PST by GreenHornet
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To: kindred; All
As mentioned in related threads, the only sex-related right that the states have amended the Constitution to expressly protect is voting rights as evidenced by the 19th Amendment. So misguided, pro-gay activist NY officials violated Section 1 of the 14th Amendment by using constitutionally unprotected gay rights to trump constitutionally enumerated rights, the 1st Amendment-protected freedom of religious expression in this case.
14th Amendment, Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States [emphasis added]; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

And not only did pro-gay activist justices wrongly steal legislative powers to establish the so-called right to gay ”marriage” from the bench, but they breached the Founding States division of state and federal government powers by stealing 10th Amendment-protected state legislative powers to do so.

26 posted on 01/16/2016 3:28:44 PM PST by Amendment10
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To: Scrambler Bob

Play another record. This crap is going on all over the country - the Midwest, the far west and even precious Texas.


27 posted on 01/16/2016 3:30:01 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard then Third: I like to destroy the Turks (Moslims))
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To: kindred

The haters continue to hate and impose their Nazi like standards on everyone else.


28 posted on 01/16/2016 3:30:11 PM PST by Chickensoup (ISIS is like Marxism, not a country, but a dangerous sociopolitical philosophy)
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To: GreenHornet

I think they rented out to weddings not realizing that the gays would make a beeline to ruin them.


29 posted on 01/16/2016 3:30:51 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard then Third: I like to destroy the Turks (Moslims))
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To: kindred
Isn't communists controlled America fun? We are there!
30 posted on 01/16/2016 3:32:40 PM PST by Logical me
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To: kindred

NY is a totalitarian state.


31 posted on 01/16/2016 3:33:25 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: tenthirteen

Who cares where the farm is, the law was passed with the support of voters in NYC.


32 posted on 01/16/2016 3:34:24 PM PST by Truthsearcher
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To: 82nd Bragger

I recently paid a debt to NY State for 6,000 bucks - they didn’t like some deductions I made for a theater performance we produced. They threatened to take away our driver’s license and our home and our passport. According to NY law, they couldn’t take my cat or dog. Which is sad because I was more than willing to give up my nasty little 18 year old tabby.


33 posted on 01/16/2016 3:34:25 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard then Third: I like to destroy the Turks (Moslims))
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To: dandiegirl

I’ll bet the Gaystapo members who sued the farmers were from NYC, probably Manhattan..


34 posted on 01/16/2016 3:34:44 PM PST by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Have fun in jail when you defy the court.


35 posted on 01/16/2016 3:35:03 PM PST by bgill (CDC site, "We still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: bgill

Never ever say that's the reason. Say you're booked or closed that day. There's nothing that says you can't change your mind and stay open that day.

Yep. I wish Christians and Conservatives would wake up and wise up.

This Pollyanna naivete is killing us.

There are actually still people on this board, FR, that think that these radical gays and Liberals are simply misguided.

They actually believe that the reason that the radical gays and Liberals do the things they do is because they don't fully understand the Bible and the Constitution.

They really believe that quoting Bible scripture and reading parts of the Constitution to these Liberal monsters is a sure fire way to victory.

36 posted on 01/16/2016 3:36:29 PM PST by IDontLikeToPayTaxes
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To: Truthsearcher

No, people elect the people who write the law and enact the law. Often people don’t realize that the people they elect are monsters who will make a living hell for others. And the IRS is an out-of-control agency that no voter controls. How a conservative doesn’t know this is beyond me.


37 posted on 01/16/2016 3:36:33 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard then Third: I like to destroy the Turks (Moslims))
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To: BigEdLB

It is pure fascism and forcing Satanism (a religion) on these people.

Using “Law” to force an irrational, degrading worldview (faith) on people. (Unconstitutional and evil).

We live in a fascist dictatorship (oligarchy). Some “values”, Donald! To sodomize others and kill-babies, and it is “Good”, a “Right” LOL (tell your sons that, esp. your youngest one).

As Montesquieu stated—all Just Laws have to promote “Public Virtue”.

He WASN’T talking about today’s NYC’s sodomite culture, Donald, It was a FELONY to sodomite others in Montesquieu’s country, and RIGHTLY so (they have always had problems with male pederasty, since before Greek and muslim “ethics”).

Truly, a TRANSFORMATION to a forced pagan/satanic religion by the sodomite muslim CIC, who literally flipped Good and Evil (unconstitutionally.)

We are no longer a “Christian Nation”, therefore, we are no longer a “Rational”, “Just” nation. No other ethic system is based on Individualism and Natural Rights from God and Natural Law Theory (science/logic). Very, very evil, Mr. Trump, to throw out virtue and reason from the Queen of Virtue: Justice.


38 posted on 01/16/2016 3:36:45 PM PST by savagesusie (Right Reason According to Nature = Just Law)
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To: Brilliant

You people are acting like this stuff only happens in NY! It’s happening all over the place. And, of course, you know it, don’t you?


39 posted on 01/16/2016 3:37:49 PM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard then Third: I like to destroy the Turks (Moslims))
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To: miss marmelstein

The votes from NYC put the people who wrote these laws in the position to write them. Are people so in the tank for Trump that they are defending the disaster the voters from NYC have been?


40 posted on 01/16/2016 3:40:40 PM PST by Truthsearcher
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