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Christian caterer refuses to serve same-sex couple: Their wedding goes against my beliefs
A same-sex couple in Washington state is calling for a boycott of a local restaurant that refused to cater their wedding citing anti-LGBTQ+ Christian beliefs.Rayah Calkins and Lillian Glover told local NBC affiliate KING-TV that they spent a month communicating via social media with Centralia, Washington, eatery JJs To Go about catering their January wedding. But it was only when they met in person that the restaurants owner, Jessica Britton, realized that they were a lesbian couple. Related Supreme Court rules in favor of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in Christian web designer case Split along party lines, the Supreme Courts conservative majority sided with a Christian web designer who doesnt want to make sites for LGBTQ+ people. She kind of put her hands up to her face and said, Im really sorry, were not going to be able to cater your wedding, Calkins recalled. Telling you after they visually see you two together, that thats not something they can move forward with was its something you just cant really comprehend in the moment. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Calkins described the interaction as one of the hardest moments weve ever had to encounter in our lives.Britton, meanwhile, cited her Christian faith as the reason for the decision in an interview with KING-TV. We love them. Jesus loves them. They are human just like us, she said. But, the part of a wedding being a religious ceremony and a religious act between a man and a woman, means that Calkins and Glovers nuptials go against my beliefs and my faith and I cannot participate, she said.The JJs owner claimed shes received continuous threats against her family since word of the situation has spread. I have had hundreds of people tell me it would be better if I wasnt alive, she said.Calkins and Glover, however, are calling only for peaceful protests against the restaurant.Rayah Calkins and Lillian Glover | Screenshot/KING-TV I dont want anyone to violently react to them in any way, Calkin said. No violent protests, peaceful only. I dont want any threats made to them or their family or their employees.The couple said they plan on taking legal action. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Washington State Supreme Courts ruling that a Richland florist had violated the states anti-discrimination law when it refused to provide flowers for a gay couples 2013 wedding, citing religious beliefs.However, with its 2023 decision in 303Creative LLC v. Elenis, the courts new conservative supermajority ruled that businesses cannot be compelled under state anti-discrimination laws to provide creative work to LGBTQ+ people that conflicts with their beliefs. Its not clear if catering meets this definition.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
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