Fargo graphics firm with rainbow logo refuses pro-LGBT church's order for rainbow logo

A North Dakota graphics company has refused service to a gay-friendly church, which was asking the company to create a rainbow design.

The Bismarck Tribunereported that St. Mark's Lutheran Church approached Custom Graphics Inc. in Fargo for help with a new logo. But after staff realized that they were asking to have a rainbow on their logo, church members were told to take their business elsewhere.

"Ironically, Custom Graphics' own logo features rainbow colors," The Bismarck Tribune reported. "Nevertheless, Paxton said he wasn't comfortable with designing a logo for St. Mark's that would have advertised what he described as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement."

Paxton told the paper that he objected to participating in the church's LGBT "agenda."

"If they would come with something to be manufactured or such, no problem," Paxton said. "But this is trying to come up with a logo and help them come up with ways to promote their agenda."

North Dakota's first openly-gay lawmaker, Democratic state Rep. Joshua Boschee, argued that the state needed an anti-discrimination law to protect minority groups.

"We don't allow businesses to say that they're not going to design a graphic for someone who is Muslim or someone who is disabled or someone that's a single parent because we recognize that that's just a form of discrimination that's not a North Dakota value," Boschee explained.

(h/t: Towleroad)