A couple in Missouri is accusing a New York-based designer of discrimination after she refused to provide them with a wedding outfit for their upcoming same-sex marriage. The couple, Tiffany Allen and Angel Lane, reached out to designer Dominique Galbraith of D.AUXILLY about a wedding jumpsuit after falling in love with the design on the company’s website.
In response, Galbraith said she wouldn’t be able to sell anything to the couple for their same-sex wedding because they are a lesbian couple. In an email, Galbraith wrote in part that she, “wouldn’t be able to make a piece for a same-sex wedding,” because “[i]t goes against my faith in Christ.”
The designer also told the couple to reconsider their feelings and their marriage, saying, “I believe Jesus died for our sins so that we would live for him according to His Holy Word. I know you both love each other and that this feels right but I encourage you both to reconsider and see what the Lord has to say and the wonderful things He has in store for you both if you trust and obey Him.” She then invited the couple to call her if they wanted to talk more “about Jesus.”
Allen and Angel Lane have been together for seven years, and the designer’s response disappointed and upset the couple. “I’m hurt because I feel like we weren’t good enough,” Tiffany Allen said to CBS12.
St. Louis University professor of law Marcia McCormick says while Missouri doesn’t have protections specifically for LGBTQ discrimination, the designer is breaking New York state law. “The dressmaker is violating New York State law that prohibits discrimination on basis of sexual orientation by what are called public accommodations,” she told CBS12.
The couple has said that they are considering filing legal action against the company for discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
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