In Arizona, a company that makes paintings combined with calligraphy text is suing the city of Phoenix, arguing a city law prohibiting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people violated their free exercise of religion by compelling them to create art whose message conflicted with their Christian beliefs.
In Kentucky, a three-judge panel ruled last month that a T-shirt company, whose owner is Christian, couldn’t be forced to print shirts for a gay pride festival.
And in Minnesota, Christian owners of a film-production company have filed a pre-emptive challenge to a state law that requires businesses that offer services to straight weddings to serve gay weddings as well.
Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said that compared with cakes and flower arrangements, “It’s going to be a lot harder for a court to rule that films can be coerced and words on a T-shirt can be coerced.” He added, “You have to win somewhere,” acknowledging that other cases so far haven’t gone their way.
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