A Kentucky judge ruled Monday that a Christian business owner did not break any laws by refusing to print T-shirts for a Lexington gay pride event, the Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Hands On Originals (HOO), a maker of T-Shirts and other on-demand printed goods in Lexington, declined in 2012 to print T-shirts for The Lexington Pride Festival, a gay-rights event. Owner Blaine Adamson tried to compromise with his would-be customer, Don Lowe of the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization, by offering to send him to a printer who would gladly make the shirts.

“[Hands On Originals] and its owners did not want to convey the ideological message that people should take pride in engaging in sexual relationships or sexual activity outside of a marriage between one man and one woman.”

However, instead of going to a competing printer who would gladly print the shirts, Lowe instead decided to file a complaint with Kentucky’s Human Rights Commission.

In October of 2014, Kentucky’s Human Rights Commissioner Greg Munson ruled against the Christian business, saying that they did indeed violate the rights of the gay would-be customers.

Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael on Monday issued a ruling reversing the Human Rights Commission’s 2014 ruling, saying that the Christian business owner did not violate his customer’s rights, according to the Washington Post.

“The right of freedom of thought protected by the First Amendment against state action includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all… In this case there was no government mandate that the Respondent (HOO) speak.”

Jim Campbell, senior legal counsel for The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the Christian business owner in his legal troubles, praised Monday’s ruling.

“[The government] can’t force citizens to surrender free-speech rights or religious freedom in order to run a small business, and this decision affirms that…. The court rightly recognized that the law protects Blaine’s decision not to print shirts with messages that conflict with his beliefs, and that no sufficient reason exists for the government to coerce Blaine to act against his conscience in this way.”

Monday’s ruling is not the final word on the case between the Christian business owner and his customers who claim their rights were violated. Ray Sexton, executive director of the Lexington Human Rights Commission, says that he and his agency are considering their next steps, which could possibly include bringing the matter before a higher court.

“We don’t look at this as a loss. We look at it as a one-one tie right now.”

Do you believe that the government should force Christian business owners to accommodate gay customers even if doing so violates their religious beliefs? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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