C.E. Dyer reports that a Christian printer in Kentucky objected to printing t-shirts that went against his religious beliefs and last year he won the case waged against him. Now, the case has hit appeals and he’s back in court fighting for his rights.
The Daily Signal reported:
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A lawyer representing a Kentucky print shop owner who chose not to print gay pride festival T-shirts argued in a hearing this week that the government cannot force a person to create speech against his or her beliefs.
Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals in Lexington, Kentucky, turned down business due to his religious beliefs in 2012. He chose not to print shirts for the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization in advance of a gay pride festival.
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The LGBT organization filed a discrimination complaint against Adamson with a local human rights commission.
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A Kentucky circuit court sided with Adamson in April 2015, saying that he had the right not to print the shirts. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission had previously ruled that Adamson must print T-shirts, even if the messages on the shirts conflicted with his religious beliefs.
The commission appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals on the Fayette County Circuit Court ruling that overturned the commission’s decision. The oral argument was held Dec. 13.
Jim Campbell, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, explained the importance of this case to The Daily Signal:
“This case is about the expressive freedom of everyone, because if the owners of Hands On Originals must print messages that conflict with their beliefs, then there’s nothing stopping the government from forcing a lesbian printer to create a religious group’s flyer objecting a same-sex marriage or forcing a Muslim graphic designer to build a website promoting Jewish beliefs.”
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“I think that there is a universal appeal to what we are arguing here.”
In a statement, Campbell asserted: “Protecting Blaine’s freedom protects everyone’s freedom, regardless of their beliefs or convictions.”
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“No matter what you believe, the government shouldn’t be able to force you to create speech that conflicts with your deepest convictions.”
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Read More:
Lexington Herald-Leader: T-shirt maker does not discriminate against gays, attorney claims WMKY: Hands On Originals Attorney Argues T-Shirt Maker Exercised Free Speech
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The government should have never been allowed to stick their noses in where they don’t belong and this is definitely a place where they don’t belong.
If a business decides they don’t want to do something, such as print a t-shirt with a message that goes against their beliefs, the customer is free to go elsewhere.
The free market should deal with this and the government should allow the people to essentially vote with their dollars. Hopefully Adamson prevails because as Campbell noted, this is about all of our rights.
