Christian bookstore teams up with hate group to sue for the right to misgender

[Jessica_Rose]

Christian bookstore teams up with hate group to sue for the right to misgender people

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/07/christian-bookstore-teams-up-with-hate-group-to-sue-for-the-right-to-misgender-people/

John Russell (23 July 2025)

The owners of a Christian bookstore in Colorado are suing the state over a recent law expanding protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

On July 16, anti-LGBTQ+ legal group Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of Eric and Sara Smith, the owners of Born Again Used Books in Colorado Springs, challenging the Kelly Loving Act, The Gazette reports.

Signed by out Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) and named for a transgender woman killed in the 2022 Club Q mass shooting, the law made it a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act to intentionally misgender or deadname trans and gender-nonconforming people in places of public accommodation, like schools and workplaces.

The Smiths contend that the new law violates their First Amendment rights by banning them from expressing their Christian beliefs about sexuality and gender in their store and on their website, and by forcing them to affirm trans and gender-nonconforming people's identities, according to the lawsuit.

"Although Born Again Used Books happily sells its products to everyone, Colorado now compels the bookstore to speak using pronouns and titles based on a person's preferred gender expression — thereby requiring the store to prioritize a person's professed identity over biological reality," a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom states.

The Smiths argue that the law forces them either to abandon their core religious beliefs or face liability, including potential "cease-and-desist orders, expensive investigations, hearings, and hefty fines."

[Lori Dee]

The Smiths contend that the new law violates their First Amendment rights by banning them from expressing their Christian beliefs about sexuality and gender in their store and on their website, and by forcing them to affirm trans and gender-nonconforming people's identities, according to the lawsuit.

If you are in business to sell a product, why would you want to offend your customers through name-calling? Why would you assume that you know everything about the customer's "biological reality"?

There was an old saying in business that "the customer is always right". When a customer receives excellent service, they will tell two people about it. When a customer is not treated well, they will tell ten. Offend your customers at your own peril.