KENTUCKY: Printing Company Found Guilty For Not Producing Pride T-Shirts

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission has ruled that a local printing company discriminated when it refused to produce t-shirts for the Lexington Pride Festival in 2012.

The Human Rights Commission found in 2012 that Hands On Originals violated the city's fairness ordinance, which prohibits businesses open to the public from discriminating against people based on sexual orientation. Nonetheless, the hearing process continued over two more years. The Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona group defending Hands On Originals, released a statement announcing its disappointment with the ruling, which it said would also require printers to do business with controversial groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for its extreme ideologies, especially against gay people. "No one should be forced by the government — or by another citizen — to endorse or promote ideas with which they disagree," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jim Campbell, who argued before the hearing examiner on behalf of Hands On Originals on June 19.

Todd Starnes is reacting predictably.

The hearing examiner recommended the following punishment: First, Hands On Originals cannot discriminate against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In other words, the T-shirt company must service LGBT customers – no questions asked. The examiner also ordered Adamson to attend “diversity training” conducted by – wait for it – the Lexington Human Rights Commission. Take just a moment and let that sink in – a Christian business owner is being ordered to attend diversity training – because of his religious beliefs. That’s a pretty frightening concept and a mighty dangerous precedent. “That is certainly one of the dangers of an order like that – for the government to step in and order (what is essentially) a re-education of its citizens,” Campbell told me. “That’s a dangerous precedent for the government to engage in.” In essence, the Human Rights Commission is telling Christian business owners they have to change their religious beliefs. It’s the idea that the government knows best and Christians must reorient their beliefs.

There appears to be no monetary penalty in the ruling.