Virginia photographer can refuse same-sex weddings, says judge
Nov 13, 2023
Alex Baker
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
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A photographer in Virginia can now refuse to photograph same-sex weddings. Wedding photographer Bob Updegrove filed a lawsuit against an anti-discriminatory state law that said he couldn’t do this.
The state agreed not to force him to work on same-sex weddings and let him tell people about it on his website.
The court based this decision on a case where a Christian web designer in Colorado didn’t want to make websites for same-sex weddings. The court said she didn’t have to. Updegrove’s case is similar and shows how this court ruling affects anti-discrimination laws in the country.
Updegrove told the Washington Post in 2020, “I want to create photography I believe in. I believe marriage is meant to be a unique and sacrificial relationship between one man and woman that points people to Jesus Christ’s sacrificial covenant with the church.”
This settlement is a blow to Virginia’s Values Act. The state passed the law in 2020 which protects LGBTQ rights. The Values Act not only stops LGBTQ+ discrimination but also discrimination based on race, religion, and more. People breaking this law can receive a fine of up to $100,000.
The case is part of a trend where some claim anti-discrimination laws go against their freedom and religious beliefs. However, it can backfire, especially on a small business. In Australia, a wedding magazine went bankrupt after it refused to feature same-sex couples.
[via fstoppers]
Alex Baker
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
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11 responses to “Virginia photographer can refuse same-sex weddings, says judge”
No private business HAS to provide a service to someone. I don’t understand why this would have to go to court.
Craig Alexander Lamont discrimination ring a bell?
Don Navarro so when I was a self employed joiner, if someone rang me up and asked me to fit some new doors for them, I had to take the job on, I couldn’t refuse?
WOW, the fact that this is a controversial topic shows how bad this society got. How can someone command a third person to make specific fotos?
Better question @jsm is how can people hate other people because of who the other people love. And don’t tell me it’s not hate. That’s precisely what it is and I’m willing to best the house that Jesus is disgusted with people like that.
And the hatred coming back at them is justified, right? Maybe the world sees Christianity as hatred, so when a believer in Jesus is carrying out what Jesus commands, the world sees as hatred. Love isn’t love, God is love, and that love is seen as hatred. Please stop abusing Jesus, using Him to promote sinful behavior. It’s hypocritical. Maybe you should try to get to know Jesus, instead making up lies about Him.
Seems like the photographer in question was trying to make a stand and not simply expressing their personal views and their artistic vision. There are many, many other reasons they could have turned down the prospective clients–that they chose to explicitly and openly turn them down because they are same-sex means they were grandstanding.
That said, why force the issue as a couple? If a photographer turns you down, find another. If they turn you down for a reason you feel is discriminatory/hate crime/whatever…do you really want them documenting your wedding?
Isn’t it ironic that grandstanding goes both ways? Reading through these comments makes that crystal clear, doesn’t it? My camera, my choice, right?
So, what if you’re in a small rural town and the photographer, or the baker, or the wedding gown maker, or the musicians are the only ones in town, with the next town 50 or more miles away?
If you’re in business, you should have to sell your services and/or goods to anyone who pays the listed price for them. If they can’t pay then you don’t sell to them, otherwise the sale should go ahead. In this case the other legitimate excuse would be another job at the same time already booked.
Pendulums swing both ways
Why would you want someone who is hostile towards you to document your special day. I can only imagine how the photos will turn out,