Christian Photographer Challenges Northam’s ‘Wedding Cake’ Law
(Worthy News) – A Christian photographer is challenging a Virginia law that would compel him to work at a same-sex wedding on religious-liberty grounds.
The Virginia Values Act, passed in 2020 as one of the first acts of the newly elected Democratic state legislature, prohibits discrimination in employment and public accommodations against LGBTQ customers. If a business or employer is found in violation of the law, they could face a fine of up to $100,000 per violation. Bob Updegrove filed a lawsuit through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleging that the act compels him to violate his religious beliefs by forcing him to take photos for a same-sex wedding.
“The state has a responsibility to protect my religious freedom. It shouldn’t be able to silence or punish me for living out and expressing my faith,” Updegrove told reporters after oral arguments Friday. “It’s not just my freedom at stake. It’s everyone’s. When the government can tell you what to do, what to say, and what to create, then we do not live in a free America.” [ Source: Washington Free Beacon (Read More…) ]