Michigan: Federal court ruled against city trying to penalize farmer who declined gay weddings – IOTW Report

Michigan: Federal court ruled against city trying to penalize farmer who declined gay weddings

Based Politics-

In 2017, the city of East Lansing, Michigan, barred Country Mills Farms owner Steve Tennes from participating in a public farmer’s market. The issue began in 2016 when Tennes posted on Facebook that his farm would not host a same-sex wedding due to his religious beliefs, but he would refer couples to other venues that would accommodate them. 

When the city discovered this, they instituted rules that effectively banned Tennes from the market, which resulted in a lawsuit. The city was ordered to reinstate him in 2017 while his case moved forward. On Monday, a federal district judge ruled in favor of Tennes, finding that the city violated his constitutionally protected freedom of religion.

“[They] were forced to choose between following their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which they were otherwise qualified,” the judge wrote, saying that this violates their First Amendment “free exercise rights. The reason is simple: denying a person an equal share of the rights, benefits, and privileges enjoyed by other citizens because of her faith discourages religious activity.” more

7 Comments on Michigan: Federal court ruled against city trying to penalize farmer who declined gay weddings

  1. Now they’ll find another way to punish the farmer. Perhaps mobs of “peaceful” protestors occupying his booth at the market. Harassing his customers. Letting the air out of his tires or slashing them. An unfortunate fire in his barn while he’s at the market….

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  2. Also Bryan, when you try to report these sites for their spam and use of screen names to Blogger, it always pops up with “something went wrong” and won’t submit complaints or reports.

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