Landscaping denied to gay couple

[BirdInFlight]

From the Associated Press:

A few short weeks ago, Garden Guy was just a mom-and-pop landscaping business that promoted itself as "making Houston beautiful since 1991" and promised to treat its customers with respect and honesty.

Since then, though, the business has been vilified around the world as a bunch of bigots because its Christian conservative owners refused to do work for a gay couple.

Michael Lord and Gary Lackey, a gay couple requesting bids for a landscaping job at their new house, received a polite -- and, well, honest -- e-mail from Sabrina Farber, a co-owner of Garden Guy: "I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals."

Stunned, Lackey forwarded the e-mail to 200 friends, asking them not to patronize Garden Guy and urging them to pass the word on to friends and family. "I'm still shocked by the ignorance that exists in today's society," Lackey said in his e-mail.

And word was indeed passed on -- as fast as the Web could carry it.

Within days, the e-mail had been forwarded to thousands of people around the world and quickly became the subject of heated and often ugly debates on the Internet. Because of the furor, a professional association of landscapers created a nondiscrimination policy.

A forum on the Garden Guy Web site, normally reserved for discussions about landscaping and shrubbery, was bombarded with angry comments and venomous attacks from as far away as Australia.

Some people attacked the Farbers' beliefs, threatened the couple and their five children, and said they ought to be sodomized. Others condemned gays as sinners headed toward damnation.

Farber, whose company's Web site has long included Biblical quotes and a link to a Web site that opposes same-sex marriage, said she was shocked by the reaction.

"It was just our intent to uphold our rights as small business owners to choose our clientele," she said. "All the hate, the threats of sodomizing my children, the threats of me being murdered, came out because of a very businesslike straightforward e-mail I sent. The crowd of tolerance and diversity is not so tolerant."

But Farber said she and her husband have also gotten hundreds of calls and messages offering encouragement and have been touched by that. "We just cried. We have been through so much," Farber said. "We become accidental crusaders for Christ."

Lackey and Lord did not return calls from the Associated Press.

"Imagine if it had been a black or Hispanic couple that they wouldn't provide services to. It's really bad," said Jack Valinski, a Houston gay activist. "A lot of gay couples have kids, live in the suburbs and have neighbors that are straight. Yet, we still have instances like this. There is still always that underlying discrimination we all have to deal with."

Houston, unlike Austin and Dallas, has no ordinance prohibiting businesses from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

Farber's e-mail reached the Harrisburg, Pa., offices of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, which said that the Farbers were misrepresenting themselves as current members of the group and no longer belong.

After receiving hundreds of outraged calls and e-mails, the 1,200-member association issued a statement criticizing the Farbers and created a nondiscrimination policy.

"It has come to our attention that a former member has declined a professional engagement on the grounds of the prospective clients' sexual orientation. This conduct does not conform to the policy and practice of APLD," the organization said. (AP)

[sparky]

What idiots in that little company. The funny thing is - what gay couple needs help landscaping?

Okay, maybe they didn't want to go out and do the dirty work.
But I am sure they could have come up with a design.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by sparky

What idiots in that little company. The funny thing is - what gay couple needs help landscaping?

Okay, maybe they didn't want to go out and do the dirty work.
But I am sure they could have come up with a design.

maybe they enacted that policy because they just didn't want pushy bitches all up in their ****.

srsly, what jackasses. it's a shame this ****storm has turned them into martyrs, tho.

[JohnL]

statement "We have become accidental crusaders for Christ". I cant wait for the day when these kind of people find out once and for all that Christ does not promote discrimination or hate. They are a business and are there to make money. What do they care who hires them? Is their dirt contaminated? This is just ridiculous!!!

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by JohnL

statement "We have become accidental crusaders for Christ". I cant wait for the day when these kind of people find out once and for all that Christ does not promote discrimination or hate. They are a business and are there to make money. What do they care who hires them? Is their dirt contaminated? This is just ridiculous!!!

That is exactly what I was going to say.

That one statement she made got me SO MAD. THIS is why people hate Christians. THIS is why people think all Christians are bigots.

This pisses me off.

No church that I've ever been to has advocated discrimination. Quite the opposite - I've always been taught to respect all - not to use the Bible as a weapon, and that the ONLY judge is God.

Conversly I do not believe these people should have been threatened w/ death or sodomization. That does nothing for the cause except further scare people into thinking gays and gay supporters are a bunch of heathans. That said, I can also understand the anger someone must have felt in order to make those threats...

Good for the gay couple for forwarding this e-mail!

[JohnL]

...they should never have threatened those people or their children, etc. It just brings them down to the same level as the ignorant people who refused to work for the gay couple. And when I say ignorant, I do mean ignorant. I guess in the end God will judge us all and do whatever he feels is a necessary punishment. Until then, people should be free to live their lives equally as long as they are not hurting anyone else in the process.

[Nixxxed]

This made the AP? How very strange. I thought it was just a local Houston thing. I received the email back in the middle of October from a friend of theirs, and I forwarded to a few people and forgot about it. Then there were postings on Craigslist. Then postings on gay.com chat. Then postings on a couple of gay Yahoo groups. And now the Ledge via the AP? Very strange, especially since this is just one of a few discrimination incidents going on in Houston right now.

[Johnny Stew]

Sabrina Farber, a co-owner of Garden Guy

According to the Bible, Mrs. Farber shouldn't even be working. Women are to stay at home and tend to their husbands and children.

But I guess she, like so many others, only follows the Bible when it suits her.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by BirdInFlight

Michael Lord and Gary Lackey, a gay couple requesting bids for a landscaping job at their new house, received a polite -- and, well, honest -- e-mail from Sabrina Farber, a co-owner of Garden Guy: "I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals."

Am I the only one who giggled when I read his name?


Here's the deal. Are the company owner's closed-minded bigots? Yes. Is that sad? Yes. But I personally would rather have them let me know why they wouldn't provide a service. If I were gay, and they did the work, then I found out that they hated gays I would be pissed. Because I would not want to do business with people like that. I want to be able to tell them "I choose not to hire you because of your beliefs."

Threatening the family with bodily harm for what they believe, no matter how closed-minded & archaic & ridiculous it is, is not cool.

Sparky - gas up the pickup, we'll make a killing landscaping in Houston.

[hayley]

So, clearly the people are complete and total assholes, but what they did is within their rights. Just like I'm sure a homosexual in the service industry would be if he refused to give services to them because of their religious beliefs.

If I lived in the area, I'd aboslutely refuse to use their services and would do the same as was done- forward the **** out of that email. But death threats and threats against their children... that's so completely uncalled for.

ETA: Maybe I should've just read Paula's post because I think she said everything I did. LOL.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by skcin

Sparky - gas up the pickup, we'll make a killing landscaping in Houston.

No kidding ! I'm on my way.

BTW, why did they do this? Probably listening to some nutbag preacher or they just got smeared with a bunch of santorum.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by sparky

smeared with a bunch of santorum.

i can never get that **** out of my clothing.

[mikeschmike]

Originally Posted by carrie721

i can never get that **** out of my clothing.

try washing it out of 600 thread count egyptian cotton sheets!

[sparky]

Originally Posted by mikeschmike

try washing it out of 600 thread count egyptian cotton sheets!

Gonzo plus Spray and Wash.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

According to the Bible, Mrs. Farber shouldn't even be working. Women are to stay at home and tend to their husbands and children.

But I guess she, like so many others, only follows the Bible when it suits her.

You are absolutely right. Gosh - I wonder if her husband or kids have ever touched her or come into contact with her during her "ladies time" because if so...well they're ALL unclean! UNCLEAN!

And I hope she's not allowed to look men in the eye or touch them in any kind of way (hand-shake etc) because that is also sinful.

Though Haley, you do make a valid point, this was completely within their rights - but I think there would have been a much more non-asshole way of not accepting work for these guys....but meh...that's just me



I think it's time to bring up this little gem again. Originally reported to be a letter to Dr. Laura it has become widely circulated on the INternet - it always gives me a chuckle



Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.