Citing the owner’s moral objections, a Kent-based print shop refused to print flyers last week advertising the debut of a Capitol Hill bar on the grounds that it caters to a gay clientele. But that decision appears to violate state law, according to the ACLU of Washington and a local civil rights attorney.
“You can’t discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,” says David Ward, a lawyer for Legal Voice. Ward says the bar owners may have a case against the printer, and the ACLU has volunteered to help them. “It’s important that if someone violates the law, they be held accountable,” he says.
On June 13, Seattle resident Mike Reis and his partner, Mark Hurst, placed an order with Access Printed Media for 2,500 flyers to promote their soon-to-open gay bar, Diesel. “It’s been a decadelong dream of mine to open a bear bar on Capitol Hill,” says Reis, who ordered the flyers—which depict a cartoon man leaning against a 1950s-style gas pump—to distribute at events on Gay Pride weekend. Reis says they chose Access Printed Media because they “wanted to support another local business.”
But on June 14, they received an e-mail canceling their order. “After careful consideration, my boss has decided that we won’t be able to print for your bar,” wrote Sarah Wheeler, an employee of Access Printed Media.
She added: “:/”
“Not that we’re against homosexuals at all,” the e-mail continued, “but because knowing that our printed products will be advertising and promoting the kind of lifestyle that goes against our morals is something that he can’t bring himself to do.”
“We were horrified,” says Reis. “I felt sickened, furious, humiliated. Obviously, they do have a problem with homosexuals, but they couldn’t even pick up the phone and call us.”
Reached by phone, Wheeler acknowledged that the Diesel flyers depicted “nothing inflammatory whatsoever.” She reiterated that the decision was “nothing against homosexuals themselves. We’re just not morally able to promote that kind of a lifestyle.”
Access Printed Media has no written document that outlines the business’s morality-related printing policy, Wheeler continued. But she did say that the business once refused to print an advertisement for a tarot reader, also for moral reasons. “We’re a small business owned by a small conservative Christian family,” she said. “I’m sorry, but we have values and we can print whatever we want.”
While the company can turn down orders, it can’t legally discriminate against customers based solely on their sexual orientation, says Doug Honig, spokesman for the ACLU of Washington. State law “requires businesses open to the general public to serve all customers equally,” explains Honig. “The ACLU would be glad to hear from the bar owner and provide assistance if he wishes to pursue the matter.”
After this story first appeared on Slog, The Stranger‘s blog, the printer published a note on its website (www.accessprinted
media.com) stating that the allegations of discrimination were “grossly exaggerated” and the original employee e-mail to Reis and his partner was “unauthorized.” The note continued, “Please forgive us for any harm or upset we have caused. We respectfully ask that all inquiries to this matter be put to rest. We mean no harm, and we ask that you do not harm us. We only seek to live in peace.”
However, no one from Access Printed Media has denied that the company refused to print flyers because they were “advertising and promoting the kind of lifestyle that goes against our morals”—not even in the internet mea culpa that appeared on their website.
“We would not tolerate it if a business were being denied services because its customers are Jewish, African American, or Latino,” says Josh Friedes, director of Equal Rights Washington. “We should be equally vigilant when services are being denied to LBGT establishments. People need to think about where they spend their dollars.”
Reis and his partner scrambled to find another company that could fill their order on a tight deadline, eventually settling on Gotprint.net. He says Diesel will open at 1413 14th Avenue sometime this summer. 
We don’t hate gays, we just feel our morals are better, said the phonybaloney moralist who thinks he’s superior.
Stupid christians not accepting gay business. I hope these guys sue the Jesus out of them.
would this be an issue if the business refused to print satanic or occult flyers, or nazi-emblazoned materials?
just let people have their views and run their business the way they want…we shouldn’t try to make everyone think and act the same — that would be boring. the bar can get their stuff printed at any other dozen local shops in town.
this is sooooooo NOT a story.
So those homosexuals are telling that business what they must print?
Do those homosexuals think that print shop should be allowed to print anti-homosexual information?
Why is the American civil liberties union
trampling over a firms’ right to denial of service?
Ayn Rand predicted this would happen. Despite me disagreeing with her philosophy, she was exactly right about leftists, right to the fucking letter.
“We reserve the right to refuse service.”
Regardless of the reason why, a business has no obligation to service you.
Does not a “gay” bar discriminate based on sexual orientation?
Should have gone with a union printer.
@5, you’re wrong. The Washington Law Against Discrimination require businesses open to the general public to serve all customers equally and specifically bars discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Which is why, @6, if a gay bar refused service to a straight man on the grounds that he didn’t suck dick, they’d also be in violation of the law. But simply operating a gay-themed bar, like operating a sports-themed bar, isn’t inherently discriminatory.
It’s absolutely horrendous to me that there are still people out there that would do something like this. To the owners of Diesel, keep doing what you’re doing and don’t let assholes like that get you down. It was very right of you to reject their apology and I commend you for standing up for yourselves.
It’s absolutely horrendous to me that that there are people out there that are so morally fucked that they would do this. To the owners of Diesel: keep doing what you’re doing and don’t let assholes like that bother you. I commend you for rejecting their apology. They deserve your kind words just as much as you deserved their disrespect (which is not at all).
They aren’t refusing to provide service on the basis of the client’s sexual orientation, they are refusing to provide service because they do not want to publish a disgusting degenerate piece of filth. This choice has nothing to do with the customer, and everything to do with the ad.
If a white supremacist wanted to print up some informational pamphlets, they could be denied that service and it wouldn’t be because they’re white, it would be because they’re trying to print filth.
This lawsuit is borderline frivolous and will likely be dismissed…
@4 What if they decided they didn’t want to serve Blacks? Hispanics? Asians? Would Ayn Rand approve of that? You really think their right to “denial of service” trumps human beings’ right to equality under the law?
I’d rather see a boycott/BBB complaint campaign – those are all free market-based responses that right-wingers can’t complain about. Hey, we’re just acting in accordance with our morals, right?
@11 if that was the ad up above, then i don’t see any filth. your name conjures up more bear imagery than that ad.
#11 – yeah, where’s the filth? The word “ass” hardly qualifies. This is not hate literature, which a printer could conceivably object to. This is tame stuff. I don’t think it’s worth making a lawsuit. Surely this whole fracas has given the bar a lot of free publicity. The bar owner could always put a copy of this news article on his wall, asking patrons not to use this printer. I suspect the printer won’t be getting any more gay business anyway.
@12 I wish businesses could discriminate based on race. We would know who the racists were and we would know who the people who supported them were. I WOULD NOT spend my money with them. They would be put out of business. win/win.
I also think you should be able to do business with whomever you want to and allow only who you want on your property.
Wow. I hope people here understand that this is possibly the worst press the gay community could get.
I’ll be boycotting this business, but if the suit doesn’t get thrown out instantly… I’ll also help with their legal fees.
It’ll come out of the money I would have donated to the ACLU.
B-O-O H-O-O