An all organic grocery store that plans to sell raw milk and GMO free food in Portland, OR found itself in hot water with the gay community. The controversy began after the owner’s Facebook comments were highlighted in a YouTube video by a man who lives in the grocery stores neighborhood.
Chauncy Childs was in the process of opening Moreland’s Farmer Pantry when a video was posted on YouTube on April 1st, highlighting comments Childs made on Facebook about businesses ability to refuse service to anyone for any reason, including sexual preference.
Sean O’Riordan took offense at the statements. The subject is a personal one for him because his brother was a homosexual who died of AIDS and had to deal with discrimination throughout his life. So O’Riordan gathered screenshots of the offending statements and put them into a video on YouTube.
Childs claims that her view isn’t offensive to gays and that shouldn’t wouldn’t personally refuse any homosexual customers at her store, she just feels businesses should have the right to.
In a surprisingly adult move by both sides, O’Riordan and John Childs, another owner of Moreland’s Farmer Pantry, got together and discussed the issue. While they still disagree if a business should have the right to refuse service to anyway for any reason, O’Riordan said they had a good discussion, “I found Mr. Childs to be a man who is sincere in his beliefs and passionate in discussion,” he told local media.
O’Riordan continued, “Mr. Childs asserted that he understood our family’s position and assured us that neither he nor his wife nor their business would ever discriminate toward their customers.”
The two have come to an agreement, O’Riordan has removed the video, in exchange Childs donated to the Equity Foundation, a local LGBTQ charity.
[Photo Credit: Caden Crawford]
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