Christian Businessman Ordered to Duplicate Gay Video Sues

A Christian businessman in Arlington is suing officials who ordered him to reproduce gay-themed videos or pay someone else to do it.
Jun 10, 2006 12:10 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – A Christian businessman in Arlington is suing officials who ordered him to reproduce gay-themed videos or pay someone else to do it.

Tim Bono, owner of Bono Film and Video has a company policy: he won't duplicate material that's obscene or violates his Christian and ethical values. So he turned down a woman who wanted him to duplicate films titled "Gay and Proud" and "Second Largest Minority."

The woman complained to Arlington County's Human Rights Commission, which told him that his refusal violated the county's ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Bono's lawsuit contends that his constitutional rights are being violated, and that state law doesn't permit counties to add sexual orientation to anti-discrimination statutes.

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