A California catering business that
refused to serve a gay couple might be small enough to avoid the
state's anti-discrimination laws.
According to gay glossy The
Advocate, Janet Zimmerman refused to cater the upcoming ceremony
of Kama Kaina and Mathew Rivera Zimmerman because of her “Christian
beliefs.”
Zimmerman initially agreed to cater the
couple's June wedding. She withdrew from the event in an email sent
several hours later.
“Thank you for contacting me in
regards to your upcoming wedding,” Zimmerman wrote. “I really
appreciate that you were honest with me and gave me a heads up that
this would be a same sex marriage. I hope that you will also
appreciate when I am honest with you when I say that catering your
wedding would comprise [sic] my Christian beliefs and I will be
unable to accept this job. I am sure that you will be able to find
someone who will better suit your needs.”
Zimmerman's catering company, Janet
Zimmerman Catering, operates mainly on Facebook, possibly making her
outfit too small to be subject to California's anti-discrimination
laws.
“The law does make a distinction”
between a service and a business establishment, David Hakimfar, a
West Hollywood attorney, told
The Advocate.
Kaina and Rivera, who met four years
ago, said they are not currently pursuing legal action.