In 2013, a florist in Richland, Washington, refused to serve a gay couple who came into her flower shop, citing her Christian faith to exempt her from the state's nondiscrimination law. And now, the state's Supreme Court has unanimously disagreed.
The couple, Rob Ingersoll and Curt Freed, along with Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, sued Arlene's Flowers owner Baronnelle Stutzman for violating the state's nondiscrimination law and consumer protection act. According to the Seattle Times, the court ruled in a 9-0 decision on Thursday that Stutzman discriminated against the couple when she refused to do the flowers for their wedding because of her religious opposition to same-sex marriage.
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"We’re thrilled that the Washington Supreme Court has ruled in our favor," Ingersoll and Freed said in a statement. "The court affirmed that we are on the right side of the law and the right side of history."
While Stutzman told Seattle Times that she plans to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ferguson praised the Washington court's decision.
"It is a complete, unequivocal victory for equality in the state of Washington and sends a clear message around the country as well," he told Seattle Times.
Though it remains to be seen what the future of LGBTQ rights will look like, these smaller acts of resistance will pave the way for the rest of the nation.
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