A gay man says that a house painter refused to work with him because of his sexuality and cited the guidelines at his church.
In a tweet posted yesterday by @joshyfront, he shows a screenshot of a text he said he received from a tradesperson who refused to work with him because he is gay.
“Hi, due to being a practicing Christian, I am not in a position to offer you my service at this time,” the person texted. “I conduct my business according to recommended guidelines at my church.”
@joshyfront tweeted that he had attempted to hire the person to paint and decorate his home.
“Just another day in the life of a practicing homo,” @joshyfront tweeted.
“What the hell???????” he tweeted.
He also shared that he is “looking into the appropriate next steps and what course of action to take” in response to the text he received from the tradesperson. @joshyfront did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
Though @joshyfront’s profile states that he is based in England, his dilemma may be all too familiar to U.S. readers: In June, the Supreme Court of the United States sided with a Colorado wedding website designer who said that she shouldn’t be forced to work with LGBTQ clients because homosexuality goes against her beliefs.
Justice Neil Gorsuch explained that because designing a website is an extension of free speech, the website designer should not be compelled to speak in service of a queer couple.
“The First Amendment protects an individual’s right to speak his mind regardless of whether the government considers his speech sensible and well intentioned or deeply ‘misguided,’” Gorsuch wrote in his majority opinion.
Some replies to @josyfront’s tweet referenced the SCOTUS decision. Others made jokes at the tradesperson’s expense, condemning his refusal to work with @joshyfront.
“Love that bit in the bible where they outline what kind of people tradesmen are allowed to offer services to,” @alexrozenski tweeted.
“‘People in this generation just dont want to work!’” @neoncaffeine tweeted.
“Recommended guidelines for his church: ‘hate those that are different,’” @michaeldecrow tweeted. “So fun and so very Christian.”
