writer Lorenzo Silva once said,
"We are all equal in the eyes of the law,
except some are more equal than others."
Hello and welcome to<i> Case Closed.</i>
Makes sense.
Laws have the ability to change certain scenarios,
but people's mindsets are much harder to change.
Let's see how this relates to our first case of the day.
Please bring out the litigants.
It's a shame that there are still people
with medieval mindsets in this modern day and age.
I'd like for everyone's rights to be respected...
but I'd like my rights to be respected above all.
Good afternoon and welcome.
Good afternoon.
Pedro, you're suing Fabiola.
Tell me who she is, why you're suing her,
and what you demand in order to settle this case.
Ma'am, I'm here to sue this woman for $50,000
due to breach of contract
and damages incurred by her homophobia.
Okay.
What's the background story?
I was going to get married, ma'am.
I reached out to this woman's banquet hall.
It's a place that hosts weddings, quinceañeras,
and birthdays.
Okay.
So I rented out the place
and gave her a $10,000 down payment to cover any costs.
I was also to pay an extra $10,000
on the day of the wedding.
Everything was coming together beautifully
and I was about to fulfill my dream
of finally marrying my partner
and having the same rights as any other married couple.
The day before the wedding,
all of our guests started arriving,
including my partner's parents,
who came all the way from California.
We had friends who flew in from Boston, Finland, Spain...
That's when she called me
and said the ceremony had been cancelled.
My rental had been forfeited.
She didn't offer any further explanation.
Yes, I did.
My partner and I decided to confront her.
When we got to the banquet hall,
we asked to speak to her.
Some employees came out
and simply told us it'd been cancelled.
I then said,
"We aren't leaving till this is resolved,
even if the cops come."
I didn't sign a contract with an employee.
I signed a contract with her.
She had to face me
and explain why she had cancelled my wedding.
She finally agreed to speak to me
and she simply said that she was affiliated with a church
that often hosts events at the banquet hall.
Her church had found out about our wedding
and threatened to cut all ties with her
unless she cancelled the wedding.
That's why she cancelled the wedding.
I didn't understand.
She went on to say that they only allow "normal" weddings.
I questioned what she meant by that.
It was as if she was calling us abnormal.
She refunded the $10,000 I had paid and called it a day.
Ma'am, as an American citizen,
I believe she violated our contract
as well as my rights as a person, a citizen,
and a human being.
She probably should've hung up a sign outside that reads,
"We don't host gay weddings."
That way, you would've known from the get-go.
She doesn't even need a sign.
Just tell me before I sign the contract.
Exactly.
But she didn't say anything.
She didn't say anything.
She told me that lame church excuse the day of.
I don't care about the church.
I didn't sign a contract with them!
That's why you're demanding $50,000 in damages.
That or she can just let me have my damn wedding there!
Okay.
I understand completely.
Fabiola, how do you respond?
Well, I'm rather peeved by this whole situation.
I'm indignant.
This man is not only fake,
he's also benefitting from all this.
Let me tell you my story.
I work at a banquet hall. I own the place.
I generate jobs, too.
I signed a contract with my parish.
The church goes on to pay me...
What is the church's religious denomination?
I'd rather not say.
I asked you a question.
Excuse me, ma'am.
I forgot to give you the contract.
Bring me the contract.
Did you bring your contract with the church?
Yes. It's a Christian church.
So it's a Christian church.
That's fine.
Let's take a quichE
The one you signed aligns perfectly with your story.
I also read the contract she signed with the church,
that pays her $100,000 a year
in order to host unlimited events throughout the year.
Okay. Understood.
Ma'am, the only part that wasn't clear
from the very beginning
is that I was never opposed to him getting married.
I can't host gay marriages at my banquet hall
because the church demanded as much.
When I signed a contract with Mr. Pedro,
he never mentioned...
When I took down his information,
he said his partner's name was Ms. Rosario.
-He never mentioned... -I shouldn't have to specify!
Let me finish.
He never mentioned it. I have nothing against them.
Did you ever ask him?
You didn't outright ask him
because that would've been discrimination.
Ma'am, I'm not a homophobe.
I don't discriminate against the gay community.
I respect them.
I don't agree with gay marriage, but that's just me.
That's just my opinion.
As a businessperson and an employer,
I told him I couldn't fulfill the contract we both signed.
In good faith,
I wanted to offer him a possible solution.
Just down the road, there's another banquet hall.
However, it is more expensive.
I can't say they're any better than us
because that'd be self-sabotage.
Mr. Pedro probably sought out my banquet hall
because it's slightly less expensive than the other one.
What'd I offer Mr. Pedro? I called him politely.
He claims I kicked him out onto the streets
and refused to speak to him.
Lies.
I called him myself and explained the situation at hand.
I offered him a potential solution.
He made a huge scene
and started demanding his money back.
I have a reputation to maintain.
He claims that I violated his rights,
but what about my rights?
What about your rights?
Are you going to be punished by...
He showed up at the church
and caused an even bigger scene.
He posted up outside my banquet hall
telling everyone I was a thief and a homophobe.
Here's what I suggested to him.
I told him and his partner...
Mind you, I improvised this.
I offered to make it up to them
after having voided the contract.
I cancelled his reservation
and offered to cover the substantial difference in price
for a reservation at the other banquet hall.
Oh, so...
"I'm just going to randomly change
the location of your ceremony, okay?
Your invitations will be rendered useless.
Your guests will all arrive here
and I guess I'll have to send them over there."
No, I just wanted to make amends.
I offered him the other banquet hall.
I tried to be humane and talk things out with him.
Certain things are worth clarifying.
Sure, there are laws, but there are also morals.
I offered to make amends
by covering the costs of the new banquet hall
and I also threw in a full floral package.
I don't want any of that.
Would you look at that?
Just how much money were you willing to pay
to cover up your prejudice?
That's right.
This isn't a case of homophobia.
Yes, it is!
I'm not discriminating against him
based off of his sexual orientation.
I understand where you're coming from.
You're a businesswoman.
Sadly, you're also in a tight spot.
The church is the one to blame here, really.
I say that frankly and openly.
If the church forbids you from hosting gay marriages
despite it being an established law...
I mean, this was a Supreme Court ruling.
We have to respect and accept it.
Churches are a main source of discrimination and oppression.
You had to abide by that contract
because it's a source of income.
We need money to live. I understand.
Ma'am, 75% of my business' profits come from the church.
I understand.
Did either party bring witnesses?
Yes, we did.
I bet your witness isn't a church member.
I can bet he's not a member of the church.
Bigoted church members rarely face the consequences
of their actions.
Right.
Bring out the defendant's witness.
Just because they're church members doesn't mean...
I signed a contract with you, not the church.
I'm not a homophobe, though!
You can't use the church as an excuse.
She's not using the church as an excuse.
We're just trying to pinpoint the root of the issue.
At the end of the day,
I have to find the cause of the pain in order to cure it.
Good afternoon, sir.
What's your name?
My name is Guillermo.
Pardon?
My name is Guillermo.
Okay, Guillermo.
Who are you?
I'm Fabiola's ex-husband.
Okay.
We had a relatively happy marriage.
We have a five-year-old daughter.
We separated for the same reasons so many couple do.
There's something I'd like to point out, though.
My ex-wife has never had an issue with gay people.
Hold it right there.
My little brother is gay.
He got into an argument with his partner
and talked to me about it.
I spoke to my wife at the moment.
She didn't hesitate to welcome my brother into our home.
After a few days, his partner came to live with us, too.
She was never opposed to their relationship.
She cancelled his wedding
because she signed a contract with her church
about a year ago.
So it's a financial thing.
It generates a lot of money for her.
She doesn't really support gay marriage,
but she's still a good person.
She's never discriminated against gays.
Very well.
You brought a witness as well, right?
Yes.
Bring out his witness and the experts.
Our experts are Pastor Marcelo Patrono,
Mr. Ron Brenesky, LGBT activist,
and Attorney Lizette Sierra.
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
What's your name?
Rosario.
Oh, so you're Pedro's partner.
Yes, I'm Pedro's partner.
I'm here to back up everything he's said so far.
First of all, is what she did legal or not?
It's not.
Her company provides a service to the public.
She's being discriminatory.
So from a legal standpoint,
this is a discrimination suit.
I don't know how many employees she has,
but we could sue through Title VII and all that.
That's right.
Signing a contract with the church
does not exempt her from providing these services
equally to everyone.
The church might have a case
when it comes to hiring church personnel,
but they can't force private entities to follow suit.
This is a common occurrence, isn't it?
All the time.
People negotiate directly with the church.
The church will offer a $100,000 contract
and demand "traditional" events
that follow conventional norms.
They won't say it upfront,
but there's that underlying message of traditionalism.
Exactly.
There's something people don't realize
about the LGBT community,
and it's that the laws have changed.
The LGBT community must be vigilant and check people
whenever they refer to "traditional" marriage.
We need to confront naysayers.
"Are you against gay marriage?"
Secondly, we have to pinpoint key words
such as traditional, conservative, "normal",
and challenge them.
The LGBT community is spreading the word
that these words...
Are words used to discriminate.
-Yes. -They're euphemisms.
People hide behind those words to defend discrimination.
Our job is to challenge them.
"What do you really mean by that?"
We must ask that they speak clearly.
Otherwise, who'd want to go into business with them?
I wouldn't. I really don't.
Had you had more time,
you would've looked for a better and fancier venue.
You could've avoided having to go through all this.
We need to educate ourselves.
Yes, and there's something I'd like to highlight.
There are many Christian churches and Jewish synagogues
are opening up their congregations
and adopting more liberal views
in order to include the LGBT community.
We encourage the members of the LGBT community
to learn more about these churches.
We can't say that all Christians are anti-gay.
Absolutely not!
We absolutely can't do that.
You're right about that, Ron.
At the end of the day,
gay people are also people of faith.
They believe in God.
This doesn't mean that all religions
ban all members of the LGBT community.
We can't let ourselves get jaded, either.
Here comes the hard part.
I know.
I said some strong statements about the church.
Pastor, I believe...
You know I respect all belief systems.
I think religion is fueling all this hatred
and allowing people to bypass the laws
passed in favor of the LGBT community.
Can't this all be put to an end?
First of all, let me clarify something.
As Ron said,
not all Christian groups are comprised of radicals
or religious extremists.
Remember, if someone refuses to reason, they're a fanatic.
If they don't know how to reason, they're fools.
And if they don't dare fight for reason,
they're slaves to intolerance.
In this case, it's an issue of heart.
Regardless of who our religious leader is,
when will we stop focusing on people's lifestyle choices
and start focusing on their intentions?
God is interested in what's in our hearts.
This all boils down to a matter of the heart.
The lack of information and ignorance
with regards to this subject is appalling.
We need to focus on how God deals with each situation.
God loves everyone equally.
Jesus said that the law...
The law deals with what the Old Testament said about
homosexuality, lesbianism...
It even said that women who were menstruating
should sleep outside of their encampment
because it was believed that she wasn't pure.
If someone made a dress from linen and wool,
then this person had to be stoned.
The rules were very strict at the time.
Jesus said all of mankind's laws can be summed up
in two commandments.
Love God above all
and treat others as you would like to be treated.
I've met many gay people
who love God with all their heart.
They're also prominent activists in their community.
We can't discriminate against gays.
We can't go around thinking that gay people are perverts.
That's a big mistake.
Lots of straight people are perverts.
None of that matters.
So religion is at a crossroads.
There's an inner struggle here.
Some religious people
think marriage is for people in love
while others think marriage
should only be between a man and woman.
Yes.
There's a struggle.
Ma'am, I believe the pastor's words are worthy of praise.
He's a religious leader.
That's the very same message
I've tried to get across as an LGBT activist over the years.
You deserve a hug.
Thank you.
Your way of thinking gives me hope.
Let's focus on what brings us together.
Ma'am...
I'd also like to clarify that I don't think the LGBT community
deserves its own religious service.
I think it should be one service to unify us all.
Who am I to discriminate?
Let me ask you a bold question.
Do you marry gay couples?
Remember, ma'am.
We pastors cannot marry people in civil union.
We can merely give our blessing.
Pastors are notaries as well.
They can marry people.
-I'm not a notary. -But you could be.
I definitely would.
I'm sure I'll get a ton of Facebook messages
for saying this.
You must be brave, Pastor.
Otherwise, we're doomed to live in a backwards world.
Exactly.
From a biblical standpoint, I can bless humans.
In fact, I should give them my blessing.
If a murderer on death row asks me for my blessing,
should I deny them that?
Of course not.
It's an absurd comparison.
It is absurd.
I can't marry people off,
but I can give couples my blessing.
Thank you for your honesty, Pastor.
Do you see the problem, people?
That's the problem.
I have no qualms in saying this,
but that's the problem right there.
"I can't do that. I can only give blessings..."
You can only limit yourself.
We're following this backwards dogma
that has no place in this modern day and age.
I rule in your favor.
It's final. Case closed.
We're going to take a quick break.TWORK
I was going to get married.
This woman called me
and said the wedding had been cancelled.
I don't agree with gay marriage, but that's just me.
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