Court Rules Photographer Has The Right To Choose Which Events To Celebrate
Our country is big enough for a wide variety of beliefs and viewpoints to coexist peacefully. Thankfully, today a federal district court recognized this when it ruled in favor of Chelsey Nelson, a creative professional in Louisville, Kentucky. Chelsey is a wedding photographer and blogger. She is also a Christian and tries to live her life in a way that honors God, including through her business. That means Chelsey can only use her artistic talents to participate in and celebrate weddings that are consistent with her religious beliefs—that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Chelsey respects and serves everyone, but she cannot celebrate every event or promote every message that is asked of her. For Chelsey, it’s all about what she is asked to create, not who asks her to create. But city officials in Louisville have failed to understand that distinction. Louisville officials interpret a local ordinance to force Chelsey to photograph and blog celebratory messages a...