CLEVELAND — When it came to enforcing a controversial law against a wedding officiant, Cuyahoga County got cold feet. Last month it was decided an evangelical Christian officiant in Ohio will not be forced to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies against her will. Her ministry can continue overseeing ‘marriages made in heaven.’
Kristi Stokes, owner of Covenant Weddings, sued Cuyahoga County this year over a law barring places of public accommodation from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
In a October proposed judgment entry, both parties agreed the law would not apply to Stokes and her company, as they would not be identified as a place of public accommodation.
The agreement stated, “Because Kristi does not have a physical storefront, Cuyahoga County decided Stokes does not qualify as a ‘public accommodation’ and therefore she has the right to use her talents to promote and celebrate the events that are consistent with her beliefs. The county also acknowledged that it can’t force her to solemnize weddings or write scripts even if she did have a physical storefront.”
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented Stokes, released a statement after Stokes’ big day in court celebrating the agreement between the two parties.
“No one should be forced to officiate ceremonies that conflict with their religious beliefs,” the ADF Legal Counsel said. “Cuyahoga County’s law made Kristi face an impossible choice: disobey the law, defy her own faith, or ditch her business. She no longer faces that choice. No matter one’s views on marriage, we all lose when the government can force citizens to participate in religious ceremonies they oppose.”
“Cuyahoga County’s law made Kristi face an impossible choice: disobey the law, defy her own faith, or ditch her business. She no longer faces that choice. No matter one’s views on marriage, we all lose when the government can force citizens to participate in religious ceremonies they oppose.”
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, ADF Legal Counsel
Stokes originally filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio over an anti-discrimination law known as Cuyahoga County Code § 1501.02(C). The local ordinance prohibits places of public accommodation from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“My religious beliefs influence every aspect of my life, and I can’t simply put my religious identity into separate personal and professional boxes,” Stokes stated. “If you’re looking for someone to officiate your wedding, and you’re hoping to incorporate a cannabis theme or write prayers to celebrate an open marriage, I’m not your girl.”
This is not the first time local governments in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio have pulled back on costly local SOGI ordinances leading to litigation.
In 2018, the city of South Euclid, Ohio passed a SOGI law. The law could have required the Catholic school, Lyceum, to hire those who disagreed with its core beliefs on marriage and sexuality or risk fines and jail time. With the help of ADF, Lyceum challenged the law in court, and in May 2019, the city officially clarified that the law would not apply to the school.
View the video below produced by Alliance Defending Freedom on the story of Lyceum’s victory.
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The Bottom Line
“Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
