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| Crateva religiosa (Photo by Marshman) |
The times they certainly are a changing – and changing fast.
When a flower shop becomes rife with controversy about whether to provide wedding displays for a same-sex couple, it's a sure sign
that Dylan's words were downright prophetic.
The shop in question is Arlene's Flowers of Richland, Washington.
Its proprietress, Barronelle Stutzman, has "refused to provide
wedding flowers for a longtime customer [Robert Ingersoll] who was marrying his [same-sex] partner."
Daniel Burke of CNN
reports that Stutzman's refusal stems from her evangelical Christian beliefs.
This controversy has garnered intense responses from both sides of the issue. The ACLU sued Arlene's Flowers on behalf of Ingersoll - and Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against the shop. With conservative Christians, "Stutzman has become a byword – part cautionary tale and part cause célèbre."
Stutzman herself stated:
I was not discriminating at all. I never told him he couldn't get
married…
Meanwhile, an online campaign is being waged against her.
Burke explains that she "has been called a bigot, and worse."
Stutzman's response, as she "gets ready to face a judge," is this: Don't
give in. If you have to go down
for Christ, what better person to go
down for?
Resources
http://wwrn.org/articles/40137/?&place=north-america
Copyright July 2, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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