We refuse to work for homosexuals

[Meeker Morgan]

Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/casey/4274630.html

It's hard to imagine that when Sabrina Farber sent out an e-mail Wednesday she had any idea what kind of firestorm it would set off.

At 9:08 a.m. Farber, who together with her husband, Todd, owns Garden Guy Inc., a landscaping company on Hillcroft, hit "send" on a message that delivered a painful blow with the verbal equivalent of a smiley face.

"Subject: Cancel Appt - Garden Guy

"Dear Mr. Lord,

"I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contacted us. I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals.

"Best of luck in finding someone else to fill your landscaping needs.

"All my best,

"Sabrina"

--- SNIP ---

Meanwhile, a forum on the Farbers' Web site, www.garden-guy.com, was heating up.

--- SNIP ---

A writer who said he is a Houston architect wrote that he was glad to learn of their policy so he could avoid sending anyone to them.

--- SNIP ---

Read the whole thing to get the full effect.

[saltpoint]

1. A prudent strategy. Just being around gay dirt or gay plants

would have made him gay.

Onward, heterosexual landscapers!

[nam78_two]

2. wow just wow

:wtf:

They are going to lose a lot of business and serves them bloody well right :grr:-if I were in whatever city they are in and ever had a garden or had money to hire a landscaper or liked landscaping, I wouldn't hire them....

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Check out their forum!!

Some of the comments are hilarious. One person wants to know if they work with people who practice bestiality. LOL

http://216.30.130.70/cgi-bin/yabb/gardenguy/YaBB.cgi?board=rose;action=display;num=1161311911;start=4#4

[Freedom_from_Chains]

20. Man these people really shot themselves in the foot.

Wonder how long it will be before they file bankruptcy as I gather from many of the post that it is not just homosexuals who are outraged by this. Which is as it should be.

[NYC]

21. Thanks for the link.

I'm reading it now.

[patrice]

4. And she probably felt oh so holy and righteous sending that email.

The physical components of emotion are the same as far as the body goes; sometimes we label them love, sometimes we label them hate, sometimes happines, etc. etc. My point here is that since the labels are negotiable you can decide that self-righteous hate is "really" "love of the Lord".

[hobbit709]

5. I can think of several sins

that these so-called "Good Christians" are committing with their attitude.

[Ian David]

6. Well, here's an idea for how to deal with these assholes.

1) Call them and schedule an appointment.
2) When they show-up, tell them, "Oh, you can't work for us. Did I mention I'm gay? Sorry."
3) Get several dozen people to repeat that process over and over.

Let them spend their free time showing-up for jobs only to be turned away.

"I realize you're two whole counties away, but I've heard great things about you. Could you please come and landscape our yard? For a job this large, we really need to be careful who we hire. Oh, thank you so much!"

And then, when they show-up...

"Oh, park right there between the rainbow flag and the leather pride flag..."

After a few years of this happening to them...

[readmoreoften]

12. Great idea. Let's get on it, gay Texans.

When I return to Texas, you can be sure I'll do this.

[sui generis]

28. better yet, greet them wearing assless chaps

or ask them to trim your hedges into the shape of a giant vulva

[kedrys]

7. I heard that on the radio in the car

One right-wing asshole was blathering that it was fine for the guy to turn down gays as clients because (wait for it) diversity teaches us tolerance of all points of view. I got so pissed I almost pranged the curb.

Why is this shite always happening in Houston????? We're not all shitkicking bigoted jackasses. :grr:

P.S. Note to all the hate-mongering convervative christians out there: Christ is NOT in the Old Testament. Get over it and read Matthew if you have the balls.

[TygrBright]

8. Interesting... This will cost them a lot of customers.

Because even those of us who are not necessarily gay often choose to avoid doing business with homophobic, ignorant bigots.

sourly,
Bright

[noamnety]

9. spreading manure

"... after learning on Wednesday that a Texas landscaping company called Garden Guy, Inc. is apparently refusing business to gay customers, and then learning today that a Idaho business owner has put a sign up outside of his own landscape supply business reading, “Peds queers fags your (sic) in Idaho now…,” we're beginning to wonder if we should ever allow a garden shears-wielding professional near us again! ... "

http://www.goodasyou.org/

[struggle4progress]

10. Garden Guy Won't Do Lord's Work

wudda made a great headline

[baldguy]

11. The landscaping business in Houston must pay too much.

[Tyo]

13. I love it when I see that little Jesus fish in business ads

Makes it easy to avoid the bad guys.

[patrice]

15. Trading on the name of the Lord.

The money changers are in the temple and they're selling blood for oil.

[DURHAM D]

18. In my line of work I have to meet with and acquire

proposals from painters, general contractors, paving companies, electricians, landscapers, etc. The fish shows up most commonly on painting proposals. I just throw them away. Also, the proposals with the fish are usually the highest bid.

Recently a paving company owner hand-delivered his proposal to me and it had a fish and scripture on the bottom. I handed it back to him - indicating I was no longer interested. He asked me why? I pointed to the fish and scripture. He sort of paniced and responded his wife put it there and he didn't even know what it meant. I chuckled. Then he astounded me by saying - I am Catholic not Christian. I could not think of anything appropriate to say about that so I said - what faith is your wife? His response - Southern Baptist. Then I looked at the dollar figure on the proposal and it was 40% higher than the next closest bid.

I than took the responsibility on myself and said "Clearly you don't want this job - I am agnostic and you would not want to work for me."
I politely showed him the door. He actually did not understand what had just happened.

[sui generis]

29. well, when I wear boxers

my business usually hangs on the left more than on the right, but danged if someone told me they wouldn't do business with me just because I wear boxers. That is, when I choose to wear underwear at all.

:hide:

:blush:

:rofl:

Yeah, and on the fish thingie - they're also usually the rudest fucking drivers on the road; absolutely horrible. When I see a fish on a car I KNOW they're going to hell for the way they drive.

[davidwparker]

14. They can find someone else with more talent. I went to the company

web site to look at the before and after pictures, which the customer was impressed with.

Personally, I wasn't. There was lack of imagination. What they need to do is contact HGTV with their story and get somebody from the show to do their landscape design and just find someone reasonable to do the maintenance.

[Siyahamba]

16. Then I'm sure they refuse to do work for people who eat shellfish.

Or people who wear clothing with mixed fabrics.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

17. Mixing business with politics

Now there was a real smart move.

Gotta love this line.

They might, however, consider climbing up one more rung on the moral ladder.

They should refuse to do business with all sinners.

[RedXIII]

19. ,,,

I have a neighbor who hates Filipinos,i think he would get along real good with the bigot.

[The Brethren]

22. why don't they save themselves a lot

of time and money and put out an ad for their business that clearly lists that they will only do business with self-righteous, bigoted people like themselves. The rest of the population need not apply.

[NMMNG]

23. I would have replied,

Thank you for your thoughtful e-mail. It's good you warned me--I don't like giving my money to bigoted Bible-thumpers.

P.S. I'll be sure to warn all of my friends and business associates about your affliction.


:rofl:

[JeremyWestenn]

24. A few things to say,

To gloat: EL OH EL

To smear: Owned.

- Jeremy

[mongo]

25. I get this kind of shit all the time

Salespeople for radio stations, placemat ads, etc. will come in and sell me advertising for the Lingerie & Erotic Boutique. Some times I will spend hours developing copy (which is always tastefull), and after I do all the work I get a call. "The owner says we can't take your business. We're a Christian company".

[The Brethren]

26. they need to take "Business practices 101"

It can be argued every business can decide who they work with and why, but they seem to forget that money talks and it works both ways. Not to mention, as in your case mongo, where does the line cross between a business making a personal call vs. blatant discrimination? I'm sure it would come down to local laws and so on. But still.... I wonder how some of these "christian" companies would feel if a potential gay client or vendor, etc, decided to call them on it in court? Which also might end up in the local press.

And it s*cks that you put all that time into it to get that response. Too bad you couldn't send them the bill for it.

[sui generis]

30. heh Mongo

I'd like to have been a fly on the wall when you replied to that.

:hi:

[sui generis]

27. Well I refuse to hire "hetroseckshuls"

If I catch any of my employees going to one of them breeder bars, looking at boobies or weeners of the opposite gender, or admitting that they are actually in the straight closet <<<POOOF>>> they're outta there. If they are in the straight closet, I might keep them on. Remember, we don't ask, so if they don't tell what they do with their immoral baby making selves is bertween them and their god.

No severance, no unemployment, and we'll sue them for the cost of training.

***************
can you imagine the outrage?

Better yet, "we refuse to serve hetroseckshuls". www.stevenpyles.com Where oh where would you get a decent meal? If every gay owned restaurant in Dallas refused to serve I'd advise investing in TV dinner stock.

And the gall of that byatch to say that WE'RE the bigots? Vuh. Talk to the gay hand. I love the replies on their page, and thankfully from a much broader community than just the gay community. Thank you all. ;)

[The Brethren]

31. LOL

:rofl:

[Rockholm]

32. The last sentence in the article really burns me.

SNIP:

Were I posting, I would commend the Farbers for standing by their principles in an age where money trumps all.

They might, however, consider climbing up one more rung on the moral ladder.

They should refuse to do business with all sinners.

----------------------------------------------------------

EXCUSE ME?????? "ALL SINNERS" WTF? A rather good article but ending it that way. Please. Being gay is no sin.

[Sentath]

33. Right, but...

Y'see, in context, its a reference to the idea that they do consider it one and then there's that verse, "For all have sinned and fall short..."

So they might as well close up shop and call it a day ( ;

It really is about the politest 'drop dead' I've heard this year.

[Rockholm]

34. Agree.