An events center in Portland, Oregon, is suing its landlord after being ordered to turn away a black LGBTQ group in violation of the law, reports the Oregonian.
Ambridge Event Center rented space from Holy Rosary Church, and had to follow a “morals clause” requiring it to not host events for the gay and lesbian community, according to the lawsuit. As a result, they turned away the local PFLAG chapter's annual party.
The group and others began shunning the center, forcing it to apologize and offer to host the event for free, which got it an eviction notice from the church. The events center went out of business.
In its lawsuit, the former proprietors are asking for more than $1.8 million in lost income.
The situation is potentially sticky under Oregon law, which bans private businesses from discriminating but allows churches to discriminate.
