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Brianna Aguilar
John Kubler
English 115
18 September 2014
Flowers for Gay Rights: The Discrimination of Same Sex Marriages
As the country moves forward in the area of gay rights, some are still having trouble
accepting new laws protecting these rights, specifically those having to do with same sex
marriage. A perfect example of resistance to gay marriage in this country is owner of Arlenes
Flower Shop, Barronelle Stutzman. The owner has been caught up in a controversial lawsuit for
refusing service to long time customer Robert Ingersoll, who asked for Stutzman to work on his
same sex marriage ceremony. Ingersoll was very hurt by Stutzman, who felt like it was her job to
draw the line at providing services to same sex couples. Although before this she never had a
problem with providing services for Ingersoll, she described marriage as being sacred and said
that providing this type of service for a gay couple was against her beliefs. While I believe that
everyone should be able to think freely and have their own personal beliefs it shouldnt
compromise the beliefs of others. Stutzman discriminated Ingersoll whether it had to do with her
religious beliefs or not, and it is still inexcusable.
The best way to decide this case would be to look at cases similar to the one of Stutzman
such as the Elane Photography lawsuit. which also involved a small business owner denying
services to a same sex couple. These cases are similar in the way the owners of the company felt it
was their right to refuse a certain service to their customers or employees due to their own
religious beliefs. Although it is true religious freedom is protected by the first amendment we also
need to acknowledge that there are laws that prohibit businesses from discriminating against
certain classes. These anti-discrimination laws are, after all, what prevented Elane Photography

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owner from winning the lawsuit against her. The NMHRA had specifically stated that it was
illegal refusing to offer its services, facilities, accommodations or goods to any person because of
race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, spousal
affiliation (Elane Photography, LLC, v. Vanessa Willock, 4). Elane Photography violated this
law as a business when they denied Vanessa Willock, and her partner service just for being a
lesbian couple. This case was nearly identical to Stutsmans in the way that Arlenes Flower Shop
had also denied a service to a gay couple because of their sexual orientation. So, if the Elane
Photography case was settled because the denying of services was discriminatory, Arlenes Flower
Shop is also at fault of discriminating. It is after all a public business that does not have the right to
pick and choose what is right or wrong about the lives of their customers.
Similarly a cake shop owner Colorado, Jack Phillips, has refused to male cakes for gay
couples that come into his shop. Its also no surprise that Phillips is claiming that it is also his First
Amendment right to deny services to couples because his Christian beliefs dont allow him to
accept same sex marriage. Consequently we now have many businesses like the one of Phillips
and Arlenes Flowers Shop claiming it is the government robbing them of rights they dont even
have. This includes discriminating against people and taking away customers rights. Business
owners like Stutzman need to realize that by providing services to same sex couples they are
simply doing what a business does which is serving their customers, not marrying them
personally. It isnt a businesses job to tell their customers how to live their lives and by denying
their customers services that is exactly what they are doing.