Christian printer sued after refusing to print same-sex civil union invitations
"Dear Pablo, we cannot do this job, to print this invitation goes against our values, take care and best regards." This was the answer Pablo Zapata received when he and his partner requested a quote for the printing of invitations to the ceremony to legalize his homosexual relationship under Chile's new Civil Union Law (AUC in Spanish). Zapata is a volunteer at Iguales , an NGO whose mission statement is "Work … to ensure the full inclusion of sexual diversity in Chilean society," while the printer , Publicamos, is openly Christian and family-operated. Pablo and his partner felt hurt and arbitrarily discriminated against by the answer. They said they did not consider themselves going against anybody's values. They filed a complaint before Chile's National Consumer Service (SERNAC), stating that their rights were being violated and that to deny a service for biased reasons is illegal. On Publicamos's behalf, César Mosquera stated