In the same week that a fundraiser for Christian bakers was dropped, Barronelle Stutzman's fundraiser was also dropped by GoFundMe. The fundraising website took down the donation page for Stutzman just two days after it took down its page for Aaron and Melissa Klein.
Stutzman is a 70-year-old florist who is threatened with losing her business and her retirement fund. In 2013 the florist, owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland, Washington, declined to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding because of her Christian faith. As a result, she was sued by Robert Ingersoll, a longtime client who asked Stutzman to provide flowers for his wedding. Ingersoll, a client for nearly 10 years, and his partner Curt Feed voiced their anger after being referred to another florist.
In February Stutzman was found guilty of breaking Washington's law against discrimination and forced to pay a fine of $1,001 and provide floral service for the same-sex wedding. She is also liable to pay for the legal fees of the opposing party.
Stutzman's fundraising attempt on GoFundMe was operational for two months before it was taken down this week. Her donation page raised more than $174,000 before GoFundMe claimed that it violated the company's terms and policies.
Kristen Waggoner, from Alliance Defending Freedom, is representing Stutzman. Waggoner tells The Daily Signal that Stutzman may be forced to pay about seven figures worth of penalties. This amount would force Stutzman to lose her life savings along with her business.
"The opponents of freedom have to ruin every aspect of the lives of those who disagree "” denying them a living, the ability to feed their families and the opportunity to raise money to pay the so-called 'victims,'" said Waggoner. "This type of vindictive, hateful behavior is terrifying. Corporations like Apple, Salesforce, and GoFundMe want to make sure they can live and work consistent with their beliefs about marriage, but then deny that same right to people like Barronelle Stutzman who lovingly served her customer for nearly a decade but simply couldn't participate in the celebration of his same-sex wedding."
Stutzman's legal team appealed to the county's Superior Court on Monday. Samaritan's Purse as well as Alliance Defending Freedom have set up separate donation funds for Stutzman.
