A Mennonite couple who refused to allow a gay marriage celebration is now paying a fine and getting out of the marriage business altogether.
Isn’t it nice how these new civil rights are bringing us all together.
As previously reported, last year a Mennonite couple filed suit against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to prevent it from moving ahead on a complaint that the couple refused to host a same-sex wedding ceremony in their art gallery in violation of the ban on discrimination in public accommodations. AP reported yesterday that the couple– Betty and Richard Odgaard– have settled the complaint filed with the Civil Rights Commission by the two men whose wedding was refused. The Odgaards paid $5000 in damages, dropped their suit against the Commission and agreed not to discriminate in the future on the basis of sexual orientation. In order to comply with that agreement, the Odgaards have totally stopped hosting wedding ceremonies of any kind at their gallery even though that has been a major part of their business.
You see, they were caught being Christian business owners so they had to pay.
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