Farm Owners Sued for Refusing Same-Sex Wedding Won't Appeal
The owners of an upstate New York wedding venue who were fined for refusing to host a lesbian wedding now say they will not pursue an appeal in court.
Robert and Cynthia Gifford said hosting the wedding violated their Christian beliefs, but a state appeals court in January rejected the Giffords' argument, ordering a $13,000 fine and re-education classes.
The Alliance Defending Freedom represented the Giffords and in a recent statement said the couple is being punished for declining to coordinate same-sex weddings in their own backyard.
"Americans should be free to live and work peacefully according to their beliefs, especially in our own backyards," said ADF Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton.
"The government went after this couple's constitutionally protected freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property," he said.
"This kind of governmental coercion should disturb every freedom-loving American no matter where you stand on marriage. The court should have rejected this unnecessary and unjust intrusion on the Giffords' basic civil rights."
The Giffords live in a barn they built on their farm and have occasionally hosted weddings on their property. The couple is now trying to figure out how to run their business "under a legal regime that disregards their convictions."
