There’s No Other Way to Dress This Conduct
A same-sex couple recently won a case that had been filed against a designer who had refused to sell them a wedding outfit because of the purchasers' sexual orientation.
When Angel Lane found the perfect jumpsuit for their special day, her fiancée, Tiffany Allen, messaged the designer. But, to their chagrin, the vendor responded that selling them the garment would be against her faith, and declined to make the piece available for a same-sex union.
With the assistance of the LGBT Bar Association of NY, the couple filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights, and on September 28, 2022, Judge Thomas S. Protano found the designer's conduct wrongful and held that the state’s anti-discrimination prohibitions did not unreasonably infringe upon the business-owner's religious freedom, nor was the refusal to sell the jumpsuit protected by the First Amendment.
In a written decision, the judge recommended that the designer be compelled to pay Tiffany and Angel $5,000 for emotional distress, together with $20,000 in civil fines and penalties.
Chalk that up as another win for the LGBTQ+ community as it strives to end disparate treatment, and discriminatory conduct, for once and for all.
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Lane-Allen v. Auxilly NYC LLC (Recommended Findings of Fact, Opinion, and Decision, and Order)