When the case was brought to the appeals court, judges ruled in favor of Hands on Originals in a split 2-1 decision. Adamson then sued to overturn the ruling with a lower court eventually siding with him and invalidating the commission’s finding. According to official reports, Adamson believed that because the shirts were “advocating pride in being gay and being homosexual, promote that message.”Ĭiting a Fayette County ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, the county’s Human Rights Commission ruled against the store.
Owner Blaine Adamson refused to make the shirts, saying he’d be happy to serve LGBT individuals as long as the shirts they ordered didn’t directly promote their sexuality. The shirts were to contain a large stylized number 5, signifying the festival’s fifth anniversary.
The trouble started when organizers of the Lexington Pride Festival commissioned the shirts from Hands on Originals in Lexington.
