RantCrush Top 5: February 17, 2017

The florist who refused to make flower arrangements for a gay wedding, citing religious beliefs, lost in court yesterday. The Washington Supreme Court ruled that Barronelle Stutzman violated state law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Stutzman even acknowledged that serving a Muslim couple wouldn’t mean endorsing Islam and serving an atheist couple wouldn’t mean she supports atheism. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Stutzman on behalf of the couple, Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, and the nine members of the court voted unanimously in their favor.

But some religious conservatives refused to accept the verdict. It “tramples on our nation’s long-held tradition of respecting the freedom of Americans to follow their deeply held beliefs,” said Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council. And since the advent of Donald Trump’s presidency, many Republican states are weighing new anti-LGBT legislation.

A florist who refused a gay couple just lost at the Washington State Supreme Courthttps://t.co/KOsw6wV6Sa pic.twitter.com/evWHB349sK

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) February 16, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.