March 18 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case in which a Hawaiian bed and breakfast refused to accommodate a lesbian couple, leaving in place a lower court’s ruling in favor of the couple.
The proprietor of Aloha Bed & Breakfast, Phyllis Young, asked the Supreme Court to take up the case after the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission determined she discriminated against Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford in 2007 when she refuse to rent a room to them.
The Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals agreed that Young violated the state’s public accommodations law by refusing to rent to the California couple. The court has yet to determine any damages Young must pay.
Young argued that her bed and breakfast should be exempt from the law because she rents rooms for her personal home and should be free to deny potential guests if their lifestyle is not compatible to her own.
Young cited her Christian beliefs as the reason for turning away Cervelli and Bufford.
Young “believes that she is morally responsible for the sexual activity that takes place under her roof,” court documents said.
