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Florist Sues Washington AG Over Religious Freedom Violations
by Bethany MonkA Washington florist facing a lawsuit for declining to contribute her talents for a same-sex wedding ceremony filed a countersuit against state Attorney General Bob Ferguson Tuesday.
Barronelle Stutzman owns Arlene’s Flowers in Richland. For years, she has served and employed several people who identify as homosexual. For nine years, she designed floral arrangements for customer Robert Ingersoll, who is openly gay. All was well — until he asked her to create an arrangement for his wedding.
“Everyone knows that plenty of florists are willing to assist in same-sex ceremonies, so the state has no reason to force Barronelle to violate her deeply held beliefs,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “In America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use its intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith convictions.”
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