The Kentucky Supreme Court will hear a
case involving a business owner who refused to print t-shirts for a
Gay Pride festival.
Lexington's Pride Community Services
Organization (PCSO) formed in 1977. In 2008, the group organized its
first Lexington Pride Festival. It also operates the PCSO Pride
Center, an LGBT community center on Waller Ave.
In 2012, PCSO tried to order the
t-shirts for its annual Pride festival. Blaine Adamson, co-owner of
Hands On Originals, refused the order, citing his Christian beliefs.
PCSO filed a complaint with the
Lexington Human Rights Commission, which ruled that Hands On
Originals had violated a city ordinance that prohibits discrimination
based on sexual orientation. Adamson was ordered to get diversity
training. But a state judge overturned the ruling and an appeals
court affirmed the decision.
Last year, Kentucky state Senator
Albert Robinson, a Republican from London, cited the incident in
introducing a bill that sought to allow companies to deny services
based on the religious objections of their owners.
A hearing date for the case has yet to
be announced, the AP reported.