The operators of a well-known agro-tourism farm in Schaghticoke have been fined $13,000 by the state for their refusal almost two years ago on religious grounds to host a same-sex wedding ceremony.

The Human Rights Commission concluded that Robert and Cynthia Gifford, who operate Liberty Ridge Farm, violated the rights of Jennifer and Melissa McCarthy who had the right to marriage under New York's 2011 passage of same sex marriage.

Cynthia Gifford in 2012 told the couple she would have a problem allowing their wedding ceremony on the farm due to her Roman Catholic religious beliefs.

The fine, levied by Human Rights Commission Judge Migdalia Pares and approved by Commissioner Helen Diane Foster, included a $10,000 penalty to the farm and awarded $1,500 to each of the women for the "mental anguish" involved in their being rebuffed.

The decision was signed by Pares in July and later sent out in the mail. Parties to the case just received notice during the past few days.

The hearing was last fall.

The couple, who met while in college at SUNY Oswego and had lived for a time in Albany, have since relocated to New Jersey.

"No one should have the happiest time of their life marred by discrimination," McCarthy said in a release through the New York Civil Liberties Union. "We hope this decision will protect all New Yorkers from having to go through the hurt that we experienced."

"All New Yorkers are entitled to their own religious beliefs, but businesses cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation anymore than they can based on race or national origin," said NYCLU Staff Attorney Mariko Hirose, the plaintiffs' lead lawyer in the case.

The Giffords couldn't be reached late Thursday, but their lawyer, Jim Trainor, of Ballston Spa, said they were considering an appeal.

He noted that the Giffords had hosted same-sex events at Liberty Ridge but they had a problem with the religious part of the planned wedding event. "They just felt the religious ceremony violated their beliefs," he said.

Trainor also contended that the recent U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision set a precedent that allows businesses to make decisions with their religious beliefs in mind. In that case, the court upheld the chain's decision not to provide certain types of contraceptives for female employees in its health benefit package.

Liberty Ridge, which overlooks the Hoosic River, has a number of accommodations for weddings including a tent and a barn.

It also offers activities like pick-your-own blueberries and corn maze walks.

The McCarthys eventually ended up getting married at a another farm in Central Bridge, according to the NYCLU.

rkarlin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5758 • @RickKarlinTU