Canadian Flower Shop Says No Flowers for Gay Weddings

What's a wedding without flowers, right? Flowers (hopefully fair trade ones!) are a staple at most every nuptial, whether they're held by a bride, on the lapel of a groom, or in a centerpiece at a reception table. But one Canadian florist is making clear that if your wedding is a same-sex wedding, she won't be providing the flowers.

Too bad that's in violation of Canadian law.

At issue is the florist Petals and Promises Wedding Flowers in New Brunswick, Canada. The owner of that shop, Kim Evans, initially agreed to provide flowers for an upcoming wedding in the area. But when Evans found out that the flowers would be for a lesbian wedding, she decided to cancel the order by firing off an email to the couple.

"I must respect my conscience before God and have no part in this matter," Evans wrote in the email.

Had this been a straight couple getting married? That would have been no problem. Had this been a straight couple, where both parties had been divorced seven times? Yup, Evans would have provided flowers for that service, too. Had this been a wedding between serial adulterer Newt Gingrich and another woman? Yup, they would get flowers as well.

But because we're talking about a same-sex couple who is deeply in love with one another, that's enough for Evans to pull the plug on a flower order.

And that, unfortunately for Evans, is against Canadian law.

Sure, Evans is entitled to her own personal and religious beliefs on issues like same-sex marriage. But as a business operating in New Brunswick, she has to adhere to anti-discrimination laws that require businesses to not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Perhaps if Evans was running a church or a religious shop, this would be a different story. But she's not. She's running a flower shop, and to deny services to a couple solely because of their sexual orientation is against the law.

Even a local Christian minister told the CBC that while religious people are entitled to own their beliefs, they are not entitled to discriminate at their workplace.

"The shopkeeper has every right to her own convictions as long as she is a private citizen in her own house," said Minister Eldon Hay. "But if she opens her doors to sell flowers, then she must be prepared to meet and deal with the public."

Indeed. And the New Brunswick Human Rights Act is explicit here, saying that a business cannot refuse service to someone on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation.

That's why a number of local activists are planning a rally and vigil at Petals and Promises this Saturday. According to their Facebook page, they're not interested in being loud, abrasive, or aggressive. They merely want to point out how compassionate the local LGBT community is, and that Evans and her flower shop have no reason to fear providing service for same-sex weddings.

In response to this incident, a group of gays and lesbians form New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are planning a protest at Petals and Promises florist shop, 39 Glen Pine Drive, in Riverview, New Brunswick. The demonstration will take place on Saturday, March 19, from 3 to 6 PM. Protesters are encouraged to bring flowers to lay at the doorstep of the florist shop to make the point that the LGBT community is aware of the illegal actions of the florist in refusing services for a same-sex wedding, yet they are not condemning them for their religious beliefs.

Meanwhile, this is most definitely a legal issue, and one that the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission should investigate. Join this petition here to send their office a message, asking them to look into the allegations of anti-LGBT discrimination by Petals and Promises, and to hold the business accountable if it did indeed violate Canadian law by refusing service to a couple based on sexual orientation.