The appointment got scuttled pretty quickly after the Brazzel's told Fivecoate that they plan on filing their taxes as "married joint."Fivecoate then told the women that she couldn't work with them anymore because their marriage violated her religious liberties.
Fivecoate has been pretty good about confirming the Brazzel's story, telling the press "the problem was not being gay, it's being married." She then issued a press statement:
On Tuesday, February 12, 2019 I had a client with an appointment come in to have her taxes prepared. I have prepared her taxes for several years. This year she came in with her wife and I declined to prepare the taxes because of my religious beliefs. I am a Christian and I believe marriage is between one man and one woman. I was very respectful to them. I told them where I thought she might be able to get her taxes prepared. For many years I have had several gay clients. I still have gay clients. A few years ago I had a couple of gay clients that married. When it was time to prepare their taxes they called me and asked if I had a problem since they were married. I told them that as a Christian that I could not prepare their taxes. I thanked them for calling and wished them well. The LGBT want respect for their beliefs, which I give them. I did not say anything about their lifestyle. That is their choice. It is not my choice. Where is their respect for my beliefs? I am not trying to destroy them by dragging them through social media. Why are they trying to destroy my business? I have made no comment on social media. Where is their respect for me and my beliefs?Keep in mind that it's perfectly legal for Fivecoate and Carter Tax Service to refuse to serve LGBTQ people, married or otherwise. Neither the city nor the state bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I have never understood why businesses fight so hard to turn away paying customers. But if she wants to refuse paying customers, it's her legal right.
Her problem is that people tend to spread the word when they get turned away by businesses for no good reason. They talk about it on social media. They post bad reviews. And their stories occasionally grab the attention of the media and of the world.
In other words, sometimes doing something that's legally permissible can still backfire on you.