Kentucky court sides with print shop over pride T-shirt case

The Kentucky Supreme Court has dismissed a case against a print shop owner in the state who was sued after he refused to make an LGBTQ pride T-shirt, citing religious objections.

The court ruled that the plaintiff in the case lacked standing to bring the lawsuit, The Associated Press reported. The ruling Thursday came after two lower state courts previously sided with the shop owner as well.

In 2012, the print shop Hands-On Originals refused to make a T-shirt after receiving an order from Lexington’s Gay and Lesbian Services Organization. The shirt design was intended to be used for the city’s Pride Festival that year.

{mosads}The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Lexington’s gay rights law was written to protect individuals, and that the Lexington Human Rights Commission, which previously ruled against the shop owner, did not have standing to bring the lawsuit.

“While this result is no doubt disappointing to many interested in this case and its potential outcome, the fact that the wrong party filed the complaint makes the discrimination analysis almost impossible to conduct, including issues related to freedom of expression and religion,” the justices wrote.

Attorneys for the shop owner praised the court decision on Thursday, saying it “makes clear that this case never should have happened,” the Lexington Herald Leader reported.

The executive director of the Lexington Human Rights Commission said he was reviewing the decision, the local newspaper reported.

Blaine Adamson, the owner of Hands-On Originals, said after a hearing in front of the court in August that making the shirt “goes against my conscience.”

Although Lexington’s Human Rights Commission ordered Adamson to print the shirts and attend diversity training in 2012, Adamson appealed and eventually received favorable rulings from the circuit court and state court of appeals.