KY Commish Orders Christian Company to Print Gay T-Shirts
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
LOUISVILLE (Worthy News)– A Kentucky human rights commission Tuesday ordered a Christian company to print T-shirts with pro-gay messages and undergo diversity training for declining to do so two years ago for a gay pride parade, according to Christian News.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission declared that Hands On Originals violated the Lexington Fairness Ordinance by not processing the order because of its religious convictions.
The Gay and Lesbian Services Organization of Lexington wanted T-shirts for the 2012 Lexington Gay Pride Festival, but when manager Blaine Adamson declined the order based on his biblical convictions, GLSO filed a complaint with the HRC.
“I want the truth to come out,” said owner Blaine Adamson. “We’ll work with anybody, but if there’s a specific message that conflicts with my convictions, then I can’t promote that.”
During a hearing in June, GSLO representative Aaron Baker told the commission that his cleints’ desire to force Christians to print pro-homosexual messages works both ways, but Blaine’s co-counsel said no one should be forced to print messages that violate their own convictions.
“No one wants to live in that kind of America — a place where people who identify as homosexual are forced to promote the Westboro Baptists and where printers with sincere religious convictions are forced to promote the message of the GLSO,” said co-counsel Bryan Beauman. “In America, we don’t force people to express messages that are contrary to their convictions.”
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Jim Campbell agreed.
“Blaine declined the request to print the shirts not because of any characteristic of the people who asked for them, but because of the message that the shirts would communicate.”