In response to the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Colorado baker who refused to sell a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding in 2012, a homophobic Tennessee hardware store put up a sign which read, “No Gays Allowed.”
From USA Today:
Jeff Amyx, who owns Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Grainger County, Tennessee., about an hour outside of Knoxville, added the “No Gays Allowed” sign on Monday, because gay and lesbian couples are against his religion.
Amyx, who is also a baptist minister, said he realized Monday morning that LGBT people are not afraid to stand for what they believe in. He said it showed him that Christian people should be brave enough to stand for what they believe in.
“They gladly stand for what they believe in, why can't I? They believe their way is right, I believe it's wrong. But yet I'm going to take more persecution than them because I'm standing for what I believe in,” Amyx said.
On Tuesday, Amyx removed the “No Gays allowed” sign and replaced it with a sign that says: “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion.”
This isn't Amyx's first trip to the anti-gay rodeo.
He originally posted the sign back in the summer of 2015 after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality. Amyx announced the sign and policy was necessary because his religion taught him to be intolerant of LGBT folks.
And he didn't stop there. Amyx went so far as to start selling homophobic merchandise outside of his store.
After some reflection this week, Amyx removed the “No Gays allowed” sign and replaced it with a sign that says: “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion.”
I'm curious, folks, how do LGBTs buying a new faucet or a screwdriver “violate” freedom of speech and freedom of religion while shopping at a hardware store?
