In early March, nine judges who serve on the Washington State Supreme Court ruled against florist Barronelle Stutzman of Richland, Washington, a 72-year-old grandmother, who now faces fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars for desiring to run her local flower shop according to orthodox Christian beliefs.
Prior to the court battle, Stutzman had known the plaintiff Rob Ingersoll and served his needs for more than nine years, using her artistic talents to make birthdays, funerals and other occasions meaningful.
Definition of marriage
Soon after Washington state legalised same-sex marriage in 2012, this small flower shop became embroiled in a battle over the definition of marriage, religious liberty and the force of law that has consumed the nation. In the case, State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers, Stutzman contended that creating custom floral arrangements is an issue of artistic free speech and association with her clients.
The same-sex couple wanted to compel Stutzman to use her ‘imagination and artistic skill to intimately participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony,’ to quote her legal brief authored by attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom. What Ingersoll and his partner wanted was, for Stutzman, tantamount to endorsing same-sex marriage.
‘Without intending to do so, Rob was asking me to choose between my affection for him and my commitment to Christ,’ wrote Stutzman in her local paper when the lawsuit was first filed. ‘As deeply fond as I am of Rob, my relationship with Jesus is everything to me. Without Christ, I can do nothing.’
