Alaska Town Passes LGBT+ Protections After Local Business Refuses To Serve Same-Sex Couple
The city of Ketchikan in Alaska has passed LGBT+ protections after a local business refused to serve a same-sex couple.
An ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people passed unanimously in the city council earlier this month after local florist Heather Dalin, owner of Heavenly Creations, made news for allegedly refusing to take an order for a same-sex wedding, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’.
“When it comes to the holy sacrament of marriage, God’s word is clear,” she told local news outlets. “Marriage is one of the seven sacraments where the Lord Jesus Christ is present. For you to pass an unnecessary ordinance to try and force myself to participate in a ceremony that violates not only God’s holy truth, but also strips me of my rights as an American tax-paying, law-abiding citizen is unreasonable.”
Tongass Historical Museum curator Ryan McHale told the council that “Much like their pro-slavery predecessors, segregationists during the Jim Crow era cited scripture as justification for maintaining racial segregation and inequality. There is little that distinguishes the religious freedom claim of today from those of the segregationists who argued that they should not be forced to hire, serve or associate with African Americans or Native Americans.”
The city’s new ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. It will take effect next month.
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