Hands On Originals is a well-respected Lexington business that prints and designs apparel and other promotional materials for its customers, which, until today, included Lexington. The company is a beacon of true tolerance and diversity in the community: it employs and serves people from all walks of life. But due to the promotional nature of its products, Hands On Originals (like many similar companies) refuses orders endorsing positions that conflict with its owners’ convictions.
This business policy is consistent with American ideals. Indeed, no one expects an African-American printer to create and produce promotional materials for a skinhead rally, or a feminist business owner to provide her services for a convention advocating male dominance. But homosexual activists have brazenly demanded that Hands On Originals create promotional materials for the Lexington Pride Festival—an event that advocates homosexual behavior—even though such a message conflicts with the owners’ convictions. Worse yet, Lexington government officials, who are supposed to respect and protect the interests of all citizens, have ceased doing business with the company simply because its owners have chosen to operate consistently with their conscience.
This government retaliation is deeply troubling for a number of reasons. First, it illustrates that the government, despite lip service about diversity and fairness, maintains a lopsided view of inclusiveness that fences out people of faith. In other words, the government’s “tolerance” will not tolerate citizens seeking to live in a way that—God forbid—complies with the dictates of their conscience.
