Judge dismisses preemptive suit of Christian filmmakers who were challenging Minnesota's anti-discrimination law

Angel and Carl Larsen of the Telescope Media Group appear in a screen capture of a video from Alliance Defending Freedom. | YouTube/Alliance Defending Freedom

A federal judge has dismissed a preemptive lawsuit filed by Christian filmmakers who are challenging Minnesota's anti-discrimination law that forbids them from turning away potential clients who are seeking their services for same-sex weddings.

Carl and Angel Larsen of the Telescope Media Group sought a preliminary injunction against the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) in November 2016, in the hopes of avoiding future legal action by the state if they refuse to cover gay nuptials.

On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ruled that the filmmaking couple cannot turn away video requests from homosexual couples, saying the conduct would be "akin to a 'White Applicants Only' sign."

The Larsens, who have produced videos for a number of prominent evangelical ministries, wanted to expand their company's services to include wedding videography. But the couple decided to file the preemptive suit before doing so to make sure that they would not be placing their livelihood in jeopardy if they decline to cover same-sex marriage celebrations.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has mandated that businesses, religious or not, are prohibited from declining services related to homosexuality. Those who are found to be in violation of the law are subject to penalties of up to $25,000 and 90 days in jail.

"When I heard about the law that was passed in Minnesota, I was deeply concerned because I want to be able to tell stories that are consistent with the mission of our business," Carl Larsen said, as reported by Life Site News.

"I want to tell stories that are going to matter for eternity. I want to tell marriage stories. I want to tell stories about the glory of God in marriage. Because not many people are," he continued.

The judge concluded that the MHRA is not unconstitutional, and said that he does not consider wedding footage to be the expressive speech of the videographer. He noted that the Larsens are allowed to post a disclaimer on their website to indicate that they do not support same-sex marriage.

He further argued that while the couple will not be allowed to decline to cover same-sex events, they still have control over which message they release to the public as they do not have to post the video footage online.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious liberties organization that represented the Larsens in court, expressed disappointment with the ruling and is now planning to appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Tolerance is a two-way street. Creative professionals who engage in the expression of ideas shouldn't be threatened with fines and jail simply for having a particular point of view about marriage that the government may not favor," said ADF Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco.