In 2014, two lesbians sought to be married in a wedding ceremony at Country Mill, but Tennes turned them down.
In 2015, the two women were married at an other orchard. On Aug. 22, 2016, one of them wrote a Facebook post discouraging consumers from doing business with Country Mill.
In December, Tennes announced on Facebook that Country Mill would resume holding weddings:
The Country Mill family and its staff have and will continue to participate in hosting the ceremonies held at our orchard. It remains our deeply held religious belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and Country Mill has the First Amendment right to express and act upon its beliefs. For this reason, Country Mill reserves the right to deny a request for services that would require it to communicate, engage in, or host expression that violates the owners’ sincerely held religious beliefs and conscience.
Furthermore, it remains our religious belief that all people should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their beliefs or background. We appreciate the tolerance offered to us specifically regarding our participation in hosting wedding ceremonies at our family farm.
East Lansing city officials determined that these public statements violated the city’s 1972 human relations ordinance prohibiting discrimination. That law was the first in the state to recognize sexual orientation as a protected class from discrimination.
In March, East Lansing sent Tennes a letter denying Country Mill’s application to be a vendor at the 2017 farmers market:
It was brought to our attention that the Country Mill’s general business practices do not comply with East Lansing’s civil rights ordinances and public policy against discrimination as set forth in Chapter 22 of the City Code and outlined in the 2017 market vendor guidelines.
“As such,” the letter reads, “Country Mill’s presence as a vendor is prohibited.”
>reddit I know gay butt sex marrige is very important to you OP, but we have bigger problems
Andrew Hughes
I agree. His right. Lezbows have plenty of other options.
Lincoln Garcia
And he has plenty of other options for farmer's markets he can sell at that don't care if he hates gay people.
Connor Hughes
The farmer has just as much of a right to deny gay marriages as the farmers market does to deny him from joining them. The farmers market is a private organization. If it was a government run farmers market, if such a thing exists, this would be a whole different story.
Levi Lewis
It was government officials who banned him.
Ryan Foster
bump
Liam Fisher
Das RITE boi put him on blast. But seriously, the lezzers can have their wedding in a million other places. Like a mosque maybe.
Aaron Garcia
This isn't about the lesbian wedding. This is about him filing suit against the city for not being able to sell at the farmer's market.
Jaxon Ortiz
The farmers market is on government property.
Jason Myers
They would never pressure a mosque like this. Why? Because they are bullies and cowards of course.
Isaiah Diaz
Plz direct me to mosques that sell fruit on government property.
Ayden Clark
Why can't they just say "We have a booking at all the dates you want" then if they come and actually check to see "we had cancellations."
How can you prove discrimination without them outright stating they're not letting them use their land / bakery / whatever because they're gay?
Thomas Flores
This is not discrimination. It's his property and he can decide what does or doesn't happen on it. No one is entitled to this man's property. Saged for faggotry.
Colton Gonzalez
Most Christian bigots are more than happy to directly announce the reasons for their discrimination, so that isn't necessary.
Logan Bailey
Leafland. Gay marriage since 2005. All it's ever done is slope into dogfucking and never ending litigation against Christians. A lesbian tried this on a Muslim barber and it got settled out of court. Christians? They drag through the courts for years.
Gavin Gonzalez
bump
Justin Myers
First it was: >government has no place in the bedroom
Now: >we will punish on what you do on your own property
Noah Peterson
The farmer's market is not his property. He is violating local law.
Jack James
>They would never pressure a mosque like this. Why?
Christians aren't known for randomly exploding in coffee shops, or driving trucks into large crowds of people any time they're angered.
Coincidentally.
Robert Jackson
Legalities aside, religious people are fucking nuts.
Landon Foster
If the farmers market its public then it shouldn't be able to pick sides.
Parker Wright
>Turn down interracial couple bc no nig rule >Shocked asshole blown out by lawsuit
Newsflash. Those were private lunch counters in the 60s. "It's mine and I'm racist" hasn't been a defense sense then
Jason Clark
The right to declare equal access to public facilities is inherent in the 14th Amendment. Also, why is "states-rights" pol against local or state laws just because you don't personally approve of their morality? They are still 100% constitutional and enforceable. He should start a private club to sell his fruit if he wishes to discriminate.
Ryan Barnes
The local law breaches his freedom of religion. A boycott should be all that is used. Not government power. I'm for gay marriage but not forcing it down everyone's throat. And truthfully, you win over ideas with time and dialogue, not by using state coercion. State coercion just polarized. And people wonder why Trump was appealing.
Jayden Russell
Freedom of religion ends where it starts imposing on the rights of others and courts have ruled this time and time again regarding gay people.
Hunter Robinson
14th amendment made the bill of rights applicable to state level not just federal level. It has nothing to do with private buisness. Freedom of association still stands.
Charles Diaz
Oh fuck your religious freedom. By extension that means I can fucking ignore every second marriage/divorce because I'm Catholic and while that would be fun it's fucking retarded.
Brody Allen
You dont have a right to someone elses goods and services. That's called slavery champ
Andrew Moore
It's not public. "Public" is whatever the city defines it.
Jaxson Brooks
>Leafland. Gay marriage since 2005. All it's ever done is slope into dogfucking and never ending litigation against Christians. >slope into dogfucking
laughed depply and harder than I expected. Day of the Rake soon
Andrew Green
Freedom of association hasn't stood since the civil rights era. You couldn't refuse to serve Black people then and you can't refuse to serve gay people now if the law says so.
Dylan Smith
What's next allowing Muslims to block services to Infidels?
Justin Turner
Forced integration is just as immoral as forced segregation
Anthony Carter
And they don't have a right to peddle their wares at the farmer's market if they choose to discriminate. They're not forcing them to conduct gay weddings.
Hunter Parker
I disagree.
Carson Richardson
>East Lansing city officials determined that these public statements violated the city’s 1972 human relations ordinance prohibiting discrimination.
Personal decisions is a little different than the state exercising unconstitutional authority
Josiah Ross
segregation was not "forced" You're a fucking idiot
Why do you think niggers have a right to RUIN businesses, schools, neighborhoods, etc built by whites? Where they are unwelcome?
Charles Smith
>integration was not "forced" >You're a fucking idiot >Why do you think Christcucks have a right to RUIN businesses, schools, neighborhoods, etc built by gays? Where they are unwelcome?
Carson Watson
This is just shows the bigotry of the LGBT movement. They make a religious ritual specifically designed to mock this person's deeply held beliefs and sue him when he doesn't bow down to their virtue signaling.
Fuck the LGBT movement. It's become nothing but atheistic persecution.
>If you don't do x then we'll stop y Sure, not forced at all.
Blake Mitchell
>Michigan Farmer Wants to Discriminate Against Gays
what the fuck are you talking about?
It was against his beliefs to do that so he just stopped making weddings there altogether TO NOT discriminate.
>I have an icecream shop >My beliefs tell me that black people eating icecream is wrong >Instead of not giving icecram to black people I will just stop selling icecream altogether
James Perry
do you have no concept of what segregation was, or what forced integration entailed? Hint: There would have been no need for tens of millions "white flighting" if segregation stuck around
Isaac Lopez
He did stop offering weddings altogether at his farm but recently changed his mind and offers them once more, which was what led to him getting banned from the market.
Zachary Phillips
>people want to get married in 2017 >religion in 2017