The case of a photographer who could face massive fines because of his Christian beliefs about same-sex marriage is in the courts’ hands. Bob Updegrove is fighting the Virginia Values Act, which he insists favors gay rights over religious convictions.
After a hearing in a Virginia court, photographer Updegrove talked on a media call about how he feels state lawmakers slander his beliefs, saying they “call views like mine bigotry, and want to punish me and remove me from the public square.”
Might Have to Photograph Same-Sex Weddings Though He Believes They’re Not Biblical
His lawyers maintain their client isn’t anti-gay. He’s simply following his faith while trying to make a living.
The state has a responsibility to protect my religious freedom. It shouldn t be able to silence or punish me for living out and expressing my faith, Updegrove told reporters after oral arguments Friday. It s not just my freedom at stake. It s everyone s. When the government can tell you what to do, what to say, and what to create, then we do not live in a free America.
The case invokes the Supreme Court s
Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, in which the Court narrowly ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a gay wedding because of religious objections to gay marriage.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks during an unveiling ceremony for Rumors of War, a statue by artist Kehinde Wiley, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on December 10, 2019, in Richmond, Virginia. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images
Forty Virginia faith leaders have signed onto a letter urging Gov. Ralph Northam and state legislators not to enforce a new law that would require residents to violate their religious convictions.
Enacted in July, the Virginia Values Act requires churches, and religious ministries and schools to hire employees who do not share the same views regarding sexuality, marriage, and gender identity. Violators will face fines up to $100,000.