Religious Freedom or Discrimination?
Michigan banned an apple farmer for his discrimination and he's upset.
Stephen Tennes owns a farm 22 miles away from East Lansing, Michigan. He uses the space to farm apples mostly, but he also using it to host weddings.
All of that is fine and good, but Tennes stepped into it big time when he expressed his feelings towards same-sex marriage. And, of course, it got out.
Tennes took to Facebook to express the fact that he’s not a fan of same-sex marriage. He stated that he only believes in heterosexual marriages. As such, he wouldn’t be allowing any same-sex couples to marry on his land.
Tennes wrote this message on Facebook back in December. When it got shared around, he quickly met backlash because of it.
He found that you had been banned from participating in a local farmer’s market where he sold his apples.
This led him to fire back by suing the city of East Lansing for violating his rights to express his religious values.
More: Trump Ends LGBT White House Pride Month Celebrations
Tennes’ attorney named Kate Anderson defended her client by saying, “if the government can shut down a family farmer just because of the religious views he expresses on Facebook… then no American is free.”
But, the reason that Michigan banned an apple farmer in the first place was because of a long-standing civil rights ordinance that protects citizens from discrimination.
In fact, the Associated Press reported that East Lansing released a statement saying that Tennes’s statement and actions were in violation of this law. This then makes him invalid for being able to participate in the market.
Still, Tennes insists that he should be able to express his religious freedom. He has even filed the lawsuit with the help of a religious freedom organization called Alliance Defending Freedom.
The case is still in progress. Both sides hope for not only a resolution but one that will set a precedent for the future.
h/t: Queerty
