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Photography Business Brilliantly Responds To An Anti LGBT Cancellation

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With latest US events about LGBT marriage, I suspected there would be an impact on the photography business (after all, someone shoots all those weddings, strigat or LGBT) and Florida based Brentwood Photography were one of the firsts to take a hit as a photography business who supports gay marriage.

They bounced pretty well though if you ask me…

brentwood

Brentwood  changed their profile photos to display the gay colors and I guess one couple did not like it. The business received a message via facebbok from a client who decided to cancel their reservation from Brentwood due to the fact that “My fiance and I support traditional marriage between a man and a woman and don’t want to our money [mistake in original, UT] going to places that supports otherwise” the couple continues to query about the retainer: “secondly, I would like to inquire about how we can get our retainer back from you”

Brentwood rose up to the message and responded brilliantly:

Wow, I’m not really sure what to say here. I would say this disappoints me. but I actually find this to be a good thing because our company now would now not like to work with you as well. It’s not that because you have a different view from us, but it’s because. since you don’t like and support gay marriage, no one else should be able to have it. That’s like as not liking broccoli, and demanding that everyone else in the world should not have broccoli either! If you’re not in favor of gay marriage that, fine, don’t marry a woman. Personally, I was taught not to judge others and to love everyone else. So I will try not to judge you here and say anything more as to my opinion of you. At Brentwood Photography we see love in all forms. Now as far as your retainer goes, I hope you’ll read the first article in the contract you signed stating that this retainer is nonrefundable. But don’t you worry, I’m not going to keep it! Because of this conversation, I have decided to donate your S1500 to GLAD, A group created to help and support gay rights. So let me be the first to say “. [Blurred name], thank you very much for your donation and support for this great cause! I couldn’t have done it without your money. Sincerely and with Love, Brentwood Photography

Of course this is a refreshing response after legislation attempts in some states that try to make it OK for photographers to refuse to shoot weddings based on sexual preference.

Here is Brentwood Photography site and facebook if you wanna show your support.

[image via Brentwood Photography | h/t Benjamin]

Related posts:

Photographer Receives Death Threats After Sharing a Gay Pride Re-creation of Historic Photo 82% of Americans Believe Photographers Should Have Right to Refuse Service to LGBT Community A New Law Allows Indiana Photographers to Refuse Same-Sex Clients Indiana Amends Law Allowing Photographers to Refuse Same-Sex Clients After Being Blasted By the White House

  • brilliant! 🙂

  • Mark Jones

    A majority of people do not agree with you. Unfollowing DIY photography.

    • Bye !

    • Haha, as a (straight) European I really do not get what all the fuz is about. Let people marry who they want, no matter what gender. You’re not the one who has to marry a guy or live with one.. Stop discriminating and leave others be, they let you be right?
      Oh and cya 😀

    • Cedric

      Have we just found a new intolerance filter? GREAT !!!

    • ls1200

      Fortunately you’re wrong. It’s just that intolerant people have a much smaller worldview than the rest of us, so they believe that their little pocket of sadness represent the whole world.
      Don’t be on the wrong side of history, dude. One day you’ll be ashamed of that bigotry.

    • Mark

      Now who’s acting like the diva here?

    • Rex Deaver

      Nonsense. 60% of adults support same-sex marriage. Remember, it is better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

  • excellent response.

  • Hmm…ironic, people want Christians to mind their own business and not throw their beliefs into others faces in business, now you want to advertise your politics with the LGBT? sounds hypocritical.

    • Fallacious argument. First, the idea that people need to show tolerance for intolerance is a false idea, the action is self-defeating and is entirely not logical. You cannot defeat bigotry by tolerating it, regardless of the reason for the bigotry. Secondly, many of these “Christian” services seek to deny service to those that don’t share their beliefs and often seek to prevent others from also providing service, usually with laws that deny equality. This photographer didn’t seek to deny service to anyone, the couple allowed their bigotry to be an excuse to opt of the service and so forfeit the retainer.

    • ls1200

      It’s just that you see LGBT as a believe system, or a lifestyle. That’s where you’re making an erroneous comparison. Being Christian is a choice and a right. No one is denied basic right for their choice of being christian (as it should be). Being gay is not a choice, it’s part of who you are, and people celebrating the fact that less rights are being denied to people for who they are is a good thing. No one is “throwing LGBT” in your face, people are celebrating equality amongst humans.

      • Michael Goolsby

        You are correct, of course. But I want to point out that even if homosexuality, for instance, were a choice, the right still exists. The freedom of rights are never determined by motive. That is to say, no couple — heterosexual or otherwise — is required to prove their orientation or reason for marrying in order to get married.

    • oregonduckbrad

      Ah, the old “throwing it in our faces” argument. Always the sign of sheer brilliance.

    • Michael Goolsby

      Richard, you sweet little idiot… there’s a difference between self expression and policy. The former is compatible with a “live and let live” philosophy. The latter is all about “live as I say live”.

      Christians who oppose gay marriage have been doing so with the suggestion that they, alone, have a monopoly on it, all the while conveniently ignoring that the government actually regulates it. If Christians really want to deprive gays of the right to marry, then they need to take whatever political action necessary to get marriage out of the hands of the government, where is resides, and into the hands of their churches, where they incorrectly claim it resides. Then they can treat marriage as a part of any other Christian doctrine, free from any government interference. Until that time, marriage is a government issue in which all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, enjoy a protected right to participate in.

      And if you’re really interested in the “sanctity” of marriage, how about banning divorce. By definition, a divorce literally destroys marriage.

    • I think you are confusing your opinion of bigotry with convictions of ones faith. Yes there are many bigots on all sides of the issue, even on your side. Many people of faith do not accept gay marriage but do not wish to force their faith on gays, what the issue is that some want to force others to accept gay marriage and participate in gay marriages by law. If gays want to get married, than that’s fine, I disagree with it but will not attempt to stop you. I only ask that gays respect that there are people who do not want to participate in gay weddings and they should have that right under the constitution. It’s not Christians who are the bigots here, the gay community has shown much hatred and disrespect for the Church than has the Church shown to gays, although there are some Christians that do show this….shame on them.

    • So, if I understand your argument correctly, the persecuted modern Christian church has been horrifically maltreated by the bigoted gay community? Okay then… I’m going to have to take a pass on debating with that level of delusion, I’ll let your absurdity stand for itself.

    • John Cavan, who said or implied anything about persecution? I for one did not even mention or implied such a thing. This is about violating peoples conviction by forcing them to participate that which violates their religious convictions. If gays want marriage legalized which it is now, have at it…..does not personally effect me and I would not try to stop you. The issue is YOUR group trying to force Christians and other religious people to accept and participate in gay weddings and other businesses that violate their religious freedom. If you want to get married, then get married and don’t force it on others by law, simple as that. We Christians love all people but we will not be forced by law to participate. Disagreement with homosexuality does not equate to bigotry.

    • Re-read your argument, it’s basically a rant claiming you’re being oppressed by gays. Sorry, but I’m not feeling all that sympathetic to whining majorities who’ve been engaging in systematic oppression for centuries suddenly finding themselves less able to do so and claiming that their lack of ability is now oppression itself. Cry me a river. Also, given that the story is about a customer who decided to walk away from a business that was more than happy to actually do the service for them, without any real care about their religious faith, I think your persecution complex on the topic is even more suspect. The photographer wasn’t demanding anything of them, quite the other way around.

    • John Cavan, you are responding with knee jerk reactions in place of a civil dialog, you are starting to sound irrational. Again, you are imagining that I am implying persecution, I have said no such think…..this is in your own mind. You and other wee not oppressed lol, give me a break…you were not refused any humanitarian need. Gays did not have any less rights than anyone else, we all had the same rights under the constitution, you just wanted special rights…it’s all political. ALL people should have their rights protected under the Constitution, tell me….what rights did gays not have that everyone had?

    • Seriously? I think I’ve reached that point where I’ve decided that the wall is too thick to bash through using my head. You’re a dinosaur and, well, you’re headed to extinction. Welcome to being on the wrong side of history, you have plenty of company.

    • Wrong side of history? I’m on the right side which is with Christ who is Truth. God bless you my friend.

  • Alecio P

    Awesome article and respond from Brentwood Photography. I think it goes beyond the words “love is love” there is a matter of business… no bullshit, love is love, love is love. Whoever feels love know what is it.

  • I had to read this out loud to the fam we are all rolling with laughter!

    • You must have an awesome family!

  • It’s photos people! I may not be Jewish but I have no qualms doing a bar mitzvah! Same should come for the client’s side.

    • Alecta

      Missing the point – the client cancelled because the company is pro-equality, not the reverse.

  • When is diy getting a rainbow

  • Broccoli equals gay marriage. Yeah, that`s brillant. I hope the couple that wrote the note takes the photographer to small claims court. Bye, guys.

    • LOL how will they win?
      THEY refused the photographer, THEY decided to go against the contract they signed. A contract saying that the down payment was non refundable, MANY companies have this policy.

      They have a chance if the photographer decided not the photograph them based on their marriage thought, but THEY made the decision to cancel the photographer.

      Morons, Morons everywhere.

    • They wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. The client paid a retainer, signed a contract and made a voluntary cancellation.

    • I’m guessing the concept of analogy escapes you… In any event, they decided to break the contract, suing would likely cost them more.

    • ls1200

      I agree, they should’ve gone with cucumber. Bigots usually hate cucumber.

    • Small claims court for what? Being offended that a company they chose NOT to use d3cided to use the NONREFUNDABLE retainer for a good cause….get real.

    • Alecta

      You need to revisit grade school English. Analogy, metaphor, simile: you should have mastered these by grade 7 at the very latest.

  • Touché!!!

  • Ohhh looks like they need some aloe vera cream because that was a severe….

  • The couple should sue them.

    • ls1200

      For what? I get that you share their views on marriage, which is unfortunate but your right.
      But what does that have to do with legality? They signed a contract and they decided to breach it. Sue over what?

    • Michael Goolsby

      Really? Ok, so let’s say they sue. What’s the basis. The photographer supports gay people? Hmmm… if that was really a deal-breaker, they had to chance to inquire about that BEFORE they signed a contract and paid a retainer.

      Quite simply, the photographer has done nothing wrong, from a legal standpoint. He didn’t steal their money. He did not breech the contract. And he didn’t cancel or otherwise fail to provide the service. Heck, his actions that they object to aren’t even illegal.

      Maybe you should stick to photography than giving legal advice.

    • Mark

      Sue them for?

  • They could have also said “sorry, it’s the law, and we could get sued into bankruptcy if we refused to photograph same-sex weddings”

    • It’s not the law. You as a business can not be FORCED to do anything. You can refuse to do business with anybody that walks into your business, for any reason you choose. Now your business may suffer when word gets out but it is your business to choose your clientele.

    • No….. you are wrong…. public accomodation law does not allow you to discriminate against “protected classes”

      Look at the “christian” bakers being sued by gay couples if you don’t believe me….

    • Really, Larry? Try saying “I won’t work for black people.” and see how long you’re still in business.

  • Love it, it was great how they turned their “Non-Support” into something positive.

  • Marriage equality is great for the wedding industry. And now that it’s legal let’s drop the gay and straight labels and just call it what it is. Marriage. Bring on the weddings! This photographer is ready to shoot them all.

  • love this response and how they handled it.

  • oregonduckbrad

    Awesome.

  • If this business was not openly advertising their practices regarding such a controversial issue, they were being deceptive to potential clients.

  • Genius! Love it!

  • Kindn of cheap to post a provate conversation where you end up like the good guy.

  • aleroe

    I think there are more liberals boycotting opponents of gay marriage than there are conservatives boycotting supporters of gay marriage. Remember Chik-fil-a and the CEO of Mozilla.

    For the record, I support gay marriage.

  • This ruling is going to generate a lot of issues in the Wedding Industry. And it will take some time to work them all out. The Photography Company was wrong in this instance. In the interest of customer relations they should have simply refunded the deposit and chalked it up to experience, or to the cost of doing business in an ever changing industry.. It’s not every day that a Supreme Court ruling affects a businesses / customer relationship . So just ride it out and smile. If a customer wants to cancel then let them cancel. This wave will be short-lived and then things will get back to normal. Oh wait, thanks to the five members of the Supreme Court, it never will get back to ‘normal’ again. Photographers and Bakers and Florists and Potential Clients will all have to display a Cross or a Rainbow for all to see so everyone knows how everyone else stands. A Christian Baker or Photographer has the right not to be forced to do anything in violation of their religious beliefs. Gays now have the right to get married. It is inevitable that these rights are going to be pitted against each other thanks to this ruling. I am glad I am no longer photograph weddings.

    • I don’t see any reason that the money should have been refunded, the contract would have spelled out the legitimate reasons and I’m sure that this wasn’t one of them. Also, why would he care about their good will? They’ve already demonstrated the value of it. As for business, there are laws in the US (and in other countries) that prohibit the withholding of services based on a number of factors, usually including sexual orientation and religion. The key here is that a Christian service provider is no more free to deny service to a gay person than a gay service provider is to Christian person. The customer is the one being protected, not the business, and that is unchanged by this ruling. This is something that has already been fought out in the court system with businesses being on the losing end.

    • I suspect the photographer will get more business now… And good. I am thrilled that people are coming out in support and saying they are allies to the lgbtq community. If people want to make a stink then let them. It wasn’t that long ago that interracial couples were able to marry. The world is changing. People need to catch up.

    • If that Photography Business gets more business then more power to them. We live in a country built on free enterprise. I hope they do well. You are right, there are laws prohibiting discrimination. But as I said, this ruling pits gay marriage against Religious Freedom. Many states already have passed Religious Freedom Acts that basically say that a person can not be forced to participate in something that is against their religion. Many more states are passing similar laws. I am a Christian. My religious beliefs are that gay marriage is wrong. If a gay couple were to ask me to photograph their wedding I would politely refuse and explain why. I am in no way hindering them from getting married. I am simply doing my best to follow my faith. Gays want the right to marry, they now have that right. While I don’t agree with it I respect that right. All I ask is that I receive the same respect of my right to follow my religious beliefs.

  • I am going to be sadly missing DIY Photography page. Like most media outlets you have shown a preference to a story. VERY BAD Journalism.

    NOW before jumping on the your a bigot and homophob bandwagon.

    I DONT CARE WHO MARRIES WHO… But what I do care about is the truth and fairness. I am sick of on sided stories pushing an idea. Let the readers decide if the response was brilliant.. Which it was not… it was VERY UNPROFESSIONAL.

    There are many homosexuals who are sick of the GAY AGENDA as well. and feel it is time for the “GAY” Community to respect what other people believe. SHAME ON YOU DIY

    • What, exactly, is the gay agenda that you’re talking about here?

    • The “GAY” Agenda is stuff pushed by militant homosexuals. I am just as opposed to militant religious people with agendas as well. DONT LIE to yourself that there is NOT one. There is always an agenda on all sides.

      We have seen over the years where homosexual activist have invaded churches, attacked Christians, set up business owners for financial gain.

    • What “stuff” are we talking about? Got some evidence or is this just “stuff” that you’ve imagined is going on because, well, somebody, somewhere, must hold the “agenda” that you’re pretty sure you’re opposed to even if you don’t know, exactly, what it is. Are you spending, perhaps, just a bit too much time thinking about this “stuff” then?

    • setheaster

      I have to agree. I don’t care what you do or who you marry or what you believe but this was very unprofessional. Why would you ever respond to a client that way? Response should have been “sorry you feel that way, that’s unfortunate, but sorry, no you signed a contract so you forfeit your retainer. Please submit official cancellation notice in writing via certified mail.” The response and the further shaming of this client and any other person who messages their page is just extremely immature, imo.

    • Arthur_P_Dent

      This is not journalism. It’s (supposed to be) a site with DIY tips for photographers.

  • Roger Dodger

    You folks have now politicized a very good photography website and made it into a forum for pushing an agenda. You should not publish stories that stir up political debates and stick with what you do best. There are plenty of websites to air your political opinions on. Even though this story is based on photography, it has nothing to do with any useful “do it yourself” stuff that you are good at. Please stop this nonsense. People come here to learn photography, not to be arguing over gay rights.

    • Yea, we are going to stop further comments

  • Time to quit following. Will join again when straight pride is allowed and Christian pride.

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