July 1, 2015
In Wake of SCOTUS Marriage Ruling, Tenn. Store Says 'No Gays Allowed'
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A hardware store in eastern Tennessee is refusing to serve members of the LGBT community in the wake of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling Friday, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
According to WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies owner Jeff Amyx put up a sign that reads "No Gays Allowed" because gay people go against his religion.
Amyx, who is also a Baptist minister, said he realized Monday that the LGBT community is not going to back down, and that this fortitude showed him he needs to stand up for his Christian beliefs.
"They gladly stand for what they believe in, why can't I? They believe their way is right, I believe it's wrong. But yet I'm going to take more persecution than them because I'm standing for what I believe in," Amyx said, according to WBIR-TV.
The anti-gay sign didn't last long, however. On Tuesday the business owner replaced the message on his Grainger County, Tenn., store with the following message:
"We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion."
He said he won't be removing this sign, however.
