A farm couple from Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County in New York were recently ordered to pay $13,000 in fine to a lesbian couple for refusing to host their same-sex wedding.
The state's Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the July 2014 decision of the New York Division of Human Rights finding couple Cynthia and Robert Gifford of "unlawful discriminatory practice based upon sexual orientation" for refusing to accommodate the wedding of Melissa and Jennifer McCarthy at their Liberty Ridge farm.
The Giffords said doing so would violate their religious beliefs.
Melisa McCarthy called Cynthia Gifford in 2012 to inquire if they could hold their wedding at the farm.
During the conversation, McCarthy used a female pronoun to refer to her fiancé, indicating that she was engaged to a woman.
Gifford said there was a "problem" as the farm did "not hold same-sex marriages," saying "it's a decision that my husband and I have made that that's not what we wanted to have on the farm" based on their religious belief that a marriage is between a man and a woman.
McCarthy and her partner filed a complaint with the New York Division of Human Rights.
"All Americans should be free to live and work according to their beliefs, especially in our own backyards," said Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton, who represented the couple. "The government went after both this couple's freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property. The court should have rejected this unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion, so we will consult with our client regarding appeal."
Co-counsel James Trainor said, "The Constitution prohibits the government from forcing anyone to help communicate messages that conflict with their core beliefs about marriage. The Giffords welcome all people to the farm, but not all messages or events."
