The fight to protect the First Amendment right to freely exercise religion without government coercion was just awarded a huge victory in Kentucky.
In 2012, the Lexington City Human Rights Commission ruled that a local T-shirt printing company, Hands On Originals, violated the city’s fairness ordinance by discriminating against same-sex people when the business refused to print shirts for the 2012 Lexington Pride Festival ordered by Lexington’s Gay and Lesbian Services Organization, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Blaine Adamson, the business owner, told the Human Rights Commission in 2014 that printing the T-shirts and spreading same-sex values would violate his Christian beliefs.
“Because of my Christian beliefs, I can’t promote that,” Adamson said at the time. “Specifically, it’s the Lexington Pride Festival, the name and that it’s advocating pride in being gay and being homosexual, and I can’t promote that message. It’s something that goes against my belief system.”
Despite Adamson’s plea that forcing him to print the T-shirts would violate his First Amendment rights, the Human Rights Council ruled against him. Adamson appealed the decision to a Kentucky state circuit court, which ruled in his favor in 2015. On Friday, the Kentucky state court of appeals upheld the lower court’s decision after the Human Rights Council appealed the original court decision.
In a 2-to-1 ruling, the judges said it’s clear that Hands on Originals didn’t violate Lexington’s fairness ordinance because they didn’t refuse the group service based on the customers’ sexual orientation but because the business owners believed they shouldn’t be compelled to spread a message that violates their deeply held religious beliefs.
Chief Judge Joy Kramer wrote, “The right of free speech does not guarantee to any person the right to use someone else’s property.”
“In other words, the ‘service’ Hands On Originals offers is the promotion of messages. The ‘conduct’ Hands On Originals chose not to promote was pure speech. There is no contention that Hands On Originals is a public forum in addition to a public accommodation,” she explained. “Nothing in the fairness ordinance prohibits Hands On Originals, a private business, from engaging in viewpoint or message censorship.”
Kentucky court hands Christian business owner huge victory in fight to preserve religious freedom
In 2012, the Lexington City Human Rights Commission ruled that a local T-shirt printing company, Hands On Originals, violated the city’s fairness ordinance by discriminating against same-sex people when the business refused to print shirts for the 2012 Lexington Pride Festival ordered by Lexington’s Gay and Lesbian Services Organization, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Blaine Adamson, the business owner, told the Human Rights Commission in 2014 that printing the T-shirts and spreading same-sex values would violate his Christian beliefs.
“Because of my Christian beliefs, I can’t promote that,” Adamson said at the time. “Specifically, it’s the Lexington Pride Festival, the name and that it’s advocating pride in being gay and being homosexual, and I can’t promote that message. It’s something that goes against my belief system.”
Despite Adamson’s plea that forcing him to print the T-shirts would violate his First Amendment rights, the Human Rights Council ruled against him. Adamson appealed the decision to a Kentucky state circuit court, which ruled in his favor in 2015. On Friday, the Kentucky state court of appeals upheld the lower court’s decision after the Human Rights Council appealed the original court decision.
In a 2-to-1 ruling, the judges said it’s clear that Hands on Originals didn’t violate Lexington’s fairness ordinance because they didn’t refuse the group service based on the customers’ sexual orientation but because the business owners believed they shouldn’t be compelled to spread a message that violates their deeply held religious beliefs.
Chief Judge Joy Kramer wrote, “The right of free speech does not guarantee to any person the right to use someone else’s property.”
“In other words, the ‘service’ Hands On Originals offers is the promotion of messages. The ‘conduct’ Hands On Originals chose not to promote was pure speech. There is no contention that Hands On Originals is a public forum in addition to a public accommodation,” she explained. “Nothing in the fairness ordinance prohibits Hands On Originals, a private business, from engaging in viewpoint or message censorship.”
Kentucky court hands Christian business owner huge victory in fight to preserve religious freedom