Arizona Supreme Court rules business can discriminate against gays & lesbians

The Brush & Nib Studio’s owners have won a major LGBTQ discrimination case despite never being accused of discriminating against anyone. Instead, the business preemptively sued for the right to refuse to print wedding invitations for gay and lesbian couples in an attempt to nullify the city of Phoenix’s nondiscrimination law.

The company was represented by the anti-LGBT hate group, Alliance Defending Freedom. The devious group serves as the legal arm of the religious right activist movement and, conveniently enough, they wrote the company’s operating agreement shortly before filing the lawsuit on their behalf.

In 2016, Brush & Nib sued Phoenix, arguing that the city’s ban on discrimination violated the company’s freedom of speech. Among other services, the newly-formed store wanted to print wedding invitations, but only for straight couples.

Co-owners Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski said that they were “devout Christians” who wanted to overturn the civil rights law before any complaints could be filed against them. The owners also wanted to post a sign saying that they refuse to serve same-sex couples.

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