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A refusal, by a local business, to serve a lesbian couple has led to the introduction of a non-discrimination ordinance in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
The WW Bridal Boutique on Market Street in Bloomsburg reportedly denied services to a lesbian couple earlier this month, as the owners view same-sex marriage as ‘a sanctified marriage [that] would break God’s law,’ according to the Associated Press. As a result, Dwayne Heisler, a member of the Democratic State Committee, has introduced a non-discrimination ordinance as an attempt to prevent further examples of discrimination against LGQBT+ couples.
‘I believe it’s so important that the town actually recognizes all of its citizens, including the LGQBT+ community,’ Heisler said.
The ordinance is currently under review by the Bloomsburg Town Council.
Refusal to provide services to LGQBT+ individuals has been on the rise in recent years as a reaction to the progression of LGQBT+ rights in the United States. This is only one of a series of recent actions by business owners who do not support same-sex marriage. Earlier this year, an Oregon bakery made headlines when the owners were charged with violating the Oregon Equality Act of 2007 for refusing to bake a cake for another lesbian couple.
As of right now, there are thirty-four cities and boroughs in Pennsylvania that have non-discrimination ordinances. There is no state-wide legislation preventing discrimination against LGQBT+ individuals in Pennsylvania, USA.
