A wedding photographer has filed a
legal challenge to Virginia's newly-enacted LGBT protections law.
The Virginia Values Act, which took
effect on Wednesday, prohibits discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment and public
accommodations.
(Related: LGBT
protections bill takes effect in Virginia.)
Chris Herring, the owner of Chris
Herring Photography, said that he disagrees with same-sex marriage
based on his religious beliefs and should be allowed to reject
same-sex couples. He compared photographing the wedding of a gay or
lesbian couple to “promoting drug tourism.”
“It isn't the state's job to tell me
what I must capture on film or publish on my website,” Herring
said. “My religious beliefs influence every aspect of my life,
including the stories I tell through my photography. If you’re
looking for someone to photograph a red-light district or promote
drug tourism, I’m not your guy. Now Virginia is trying to
intimidate creative professionals like me to change some of my other
religious beliefs. I happily work with and serve all customers, but I
can’t and won’t let the state force me to express messages that
contradict my beliefs.”
Herring is represented by the
Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which has filed
lawsuits challenging similar laws in other states.
“Because of Virginia’s new law,
Chris faces an impossible choice: violate the law and risk
bankruptcy, promote views against his faith, or close down. No matter
one’s views on marriage, we all lose when bureaucrats can force
citizens to participate in religious ceremonies they oppose, speak
messages they disagree with, and stay silent about beliefs they hold
dear,” ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs said in a press release
announcing the federal lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Chris Herring
Photography v. Herring, ADF attorneys argue that Virginia's law
violates the U.S. Constitution, specifically the First Amendment's
free speech and free exercise clauses.