Lesbians win discrimination case by discriminating against Christian family

Owners of a family farm in New York who were sued because they refused to host a gay wedding on their private property, are asking the courts to reconsider a punitive decision against them. They are asking that their First Amendment rights and their right to religious conscience be respected by the state.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Cynthia and Robert Gifford of Liberty Ridge Farm, a family farm in New York that provides a venue for weddings and receptions among other activities, are petitioning the state. They want the state's Division of Human Rights to reexamine a discrimination ruling that holds the couple discriminated against a lesbian pair who sought to host their wedding on the Gifford's private property.

In 2012 Jennifer McCarthy and Melissa Erwin, a lesbian couple from New York sought to have their wedding hosted on Liberty Ridge Farm, which is also the home of the Giffords family. The Giffords declined the request to host the wedding, but did agree that a reception could be held there afterwards.

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The Giffords are Christians and believe strongly in marriage, which is only possible between one man and one woman, despite the insistence of some secular scholars. Marriage is a sacrament established by God and men cannot change this.

Despite this inarguable fact, homosexual activists continue to strive for equivalence in the public perception and they have been largely successful. Part of that success comes from bullying their way into the public eye and decrying any resistance as "discrimination."

McCarthy and Erwin who were upset by the Giffords refusal to host their wedding ceremony, surreptitiously recorded their conversation with the Giffords and included the recording as part of their case. The New York Division of Human Rights agreed they had been discriminated against and fined the Giffords $13,000.

But what about the Giffords right to their religious convictions? Their private beliefs do not infringe on the ability of any homosexual couple to engage in their chosen lifestyle. However, for homosexuals to demand that the Giffords host a ceremony on their property against their sincerely-held religious convictions is failing to give the Giffords an equal measure of respect. The Goffords aren't denying any couple the ability to act out on their sincerely held beliefs, i.e., that they are attracted to people of the same sex, however the Giffords are not likewise entitled to act on their Christian beliefs which harm none.

A major problem with the homosexual equivalency movement isn't that these individuals aren't seeking equal rights, but instead extra rights.

The Giffords are now being defended by the Alliance Defending Freedom and their case will proceed before the courts in a bid to protect religious freedom. According to attorneys for the Giffords, the judge nor the Division of Human Rights considered their First Amendment rights when deciding the case.

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Attorneys hold that the Giffords simply should not be forced to host a same-sex wedding in their own home against their sincerely held religious beliefs. They also argue that choosing to operate in the public marketplace does not also mean that a person gives up their First Amendment rights.

For now the Giffords are no longer hosting weddings on their property except for those they already contracted before the case. It is a shame to see Christians run out of business because they refuse to accept chosen lifestyles which are opposed to Christian instruction and Natural Law.

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