Two brothers that lost a television show with HGTV due to their devout Christian beliefs are now using their platform to stand up for an embattled florist.
In 2014, the popular home improvement channel decided against moving forward on a program hosted by David and Jason Benham after being labeled as “anti-gay, anti-choice extremists.” Now, following the news that a Washington court ruled against Barronelle Stutzman- a Christian florist who was sued after she declined to provide her services to a gay couple- the brothers are coming to her defense.
“She’s considered a hater because her floral arrangements are not free speech but fashion designers who don’t want to design dresses for the first lady are heroes and their dresses are protected free speech,” David Benham said in a Facebook post. “This is such hypocrisy.”
The brothers are appealing to religious liberty supporters to give to Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Stuzman.
“Alliance Defending Freedom’s going to take this all the way to the United States Supreme Court and Barronnelle needs our support,” Benham said. “As Americans, we value religious liberty. We don’t believe in forced participation in messages and events. There is no discrimination against any individual- that’s just a smoke screen.”
The move comes at a time when Alabama lawmakers are taking steps to double down on religious freedom measures. The state House GOP Caucus is currently prioritizing legislation that would protect medical practitioners from being forced to perform an abortion if it violates their faith.
Senate Republicans plan to act on a bill that would shield adoption agencies from ever losing state funding because of religious affiliation. State Rep. Rich Wingo (R- Tuscaloosa) is a supporter of the measure. He recently told the Washington Post that measures like it will preemptively defend religious rights from left-wing attacks.
“That’s coming here too, we all know that, and so this bill for us is a preventative step forward to be proactive,” Wingo said. “This bill is not to prohibit gay or lesbian couples from adopting or fostering, it says do not discriminate … against us based on our religious belief.”
