Posted on 08/25/2013 7:47:02 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In New Mexico, professional photographers may not refuse to work at gay weddings, that state's Supreme Court decided Thursday.
When Elane Photography refused to work for Vanessa Willock at her same-sex wedding, the Court said, it violated the New Mexico Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based upon sexual orientation.
"First, we conclude that a commercial photography business that offers its services to the public, thereby increasing its visibility to potential clients, is subject to the antidiscrimination provisions of the NMHRA and must serve same-sex couples on the same basis that it serves opposite-sex couples," Justice Edward Chavez wrote for the majority.
Chavez also wrote that refusing to work at a same-sex wedding is equivalent to refusing to work at a mixed-race wedding: "Therefore, when Elane Photography refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony, it violated the NMHRA in the same way as if it had refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races."
Elane Photography is not protected by their rights to freely exercise their religion, which are protected by the U.S. Constitution, because the NMHRA is a "neutral law of general applicability," the Court said. This means that the law does not target a specific religious group when it restricts Elane Photography's religious freedom.
In the proceedings, Elane Photography argued that it did not discriminate based upon sexual orientation because it would have photographed same-sex couples in other contexts. It was only the conveyance of a same-sex marriage in the company's photos that conflicted with the owner's religious beliefs.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Richard Bosson said that Elane Photography must be forced to violate their religious beliefs because of "the tolerance that lubricates the varied moving parts of us as a people. ... it is the price of citizenship."
"The idea that free people can be 'compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives' as the 'price of citizenship' is a chilling and unprecedented attack on freedom," said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom and one of the lawyers for Elane Photography. "Americans are now on notice that the price of doing business is their freedom. We are considering our next steps, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to right this wrong."
In a Rasmussen Reports poll of 1,000 adults conducted last month, 85 percent of respondents said that a Christian wedding photographer should be able to turn down work for a same-sex wedding.
Simple solution, more than one way to skin a cat. Require full cash in advance and take the worst possible pix. Next time the queers will not force you.
I’d ask for the date, and tell them I was already booked for that day.
Not just a bigot — anyone should be able to refuse service to anyone. Let the marketplace prevail.
If I were these photographers I’d call in sick the day of the event. Screw that judge!!
Go take the pictures, and throw up at the wedding. It would make me violently sick.
Go take the pictures, and throw up at the wedding. It would make me violently sick.
Just don’t show up. Take crappy pictures. Charge exorbitant fees. Demand the cash up front. Lots of ways.
“Sorry! I left the lens cap on.”
Just say you have other plans and you cannot help them. Nothing else needs to be said,
Or their Muslim "Behead the Gays" Rally?
This is so obviously not "discrimination" against gays as individual customers. I am sure they could go through their files --- assuming they don't "just" do weddings --- and find lots of gay customers they happily photographed for school graduations and other occasions.
They are not discriminating against a class of customers. They are choosing what kind of events they will or will not provide a service for. It involves a contract, does it not? Can the State really coerce entering into a contract?
Yes, yes, absolutely yes... And he is free to reap the consequences of his business decisions
We are 15-20 years tops from jailing Evangelical ministers and Catholic Priests for their refusal to preside over these abominations.
so... violate your religious beliefs or go out of business
gee, sounds like the fedgov and stategov is doing everything they can to help homo businesses... including taking out the competition
“Ok, then they should just do a REALLY crappy job (blurry, out of focus images, etc), and charge them up the wazoo.”
Nah, the fags would be back in court faster than you can say “dildoe.” This needs to go to the SCOTUS. If they fail to honor the Constitution ( which sadly is a distinct possibility now that we have three Marxist women on the court) then it will be time enough for “independent business actions.”
“We are 15-20 years tops from jailing Evangelical ministers and Catholic Priests for their refusal to preside over these abominations.”
I think it might be sooner than that. Remember, obambi only has three years left...
If that’s the case then I would just refuse to work.The Court cannot force you to work.Thats slavery.
Good morning Mrs. Dono that is a great question and seems to have been answered by this moreso every day lawless govt. Which brings me back to my point I’ve been trying to make and that is we can’t depend on them anymore. We should keep going at it on that front too, yes as citizens with a constitution (largely ignored or deformed to obtain results conforming with a desired outcome by popular vote) we do have that right. Sadly as we all are seeing and, getting a sinking feeling now, that road is now inaccessible to us as faithful Christians who just wanting to live the gospel, so what else can we do? We are on our own now I’m afraid or very close to it in regards to our so called representative government.
So let’s see,
Every Christian photographer be ordained in a 3rd Oder ministry? Ha ha Seriously as funny as that sounds, I actually thunk that up this morning. This is so distressing. Definitely praying for Elaine’s Photography down there in NM. New ground, old ground these aren’t really new problems for us. The bible and history shows us what God’s people should do. Jut gonna be really really really tough for those poor soiuls just trying to make a living for their family in this short brutish life until we meet the King
I notice that a hospital in Florida won’t hire smokers.
I’d like to see a photographer refuse to do any work for smokers. I’ll bet they would be upheld by the courts.
The very same morons that expect your personal physician to work for next to nothing.
You get what you pay for.
YES. It would be a dumb thing to do, since a black person's money is as good as a white person's money and vice-versa. And I don't think too many businesses would do it, since they're out to make a buck. But if a private business owner wants to refuse service to green-eyed, left-handed midgets of the astrological sign of Aquarius, he should be able to do so, in a free country. Then another business will open nearby and advertise that they welcome green-eyed, left-handed midget Aquarians and then they'll steal business away from the first guy.
If we can't do that, then we are not a free country.
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