Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times
The state attorney general’s surprising lawsuit against a small florist in Eastern Washington has energized gay-marriage opponents who all but disappeared after failing to defeat same-sex marriage in Washington last fall.
They are rallying around Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers of Richland, who cited her relationship with Jesus Christ in declining last month to provide floral arrangements for the September wedding of two longtime gay customers.
Local gay-rights leaders, meanwhile, have been low key in their reaction to the case — even as it has grabbed attention nationally.
There’s concern that as a handful of states seek to legalize gay marriage, a case like this could well provoke resentment among the so-called “movable middle” as well as live-and-let-live types who don’t like being told how to run their businesses.
Much like the Wildflower Inn in Vermont that refused in 2005 to accommodate a lesbian wedding and the New Mexico photo studio that declined in 2006 to shoot a commitment ceremony, they know the State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers will undoubtedly become a cause celebre for opponents seeking to highlight what they refer to as the negative consequences of legalizing gay marriage. Click here to continue reading.
