LaShawn Barber just celebrated her third blog day. Good for her. Many more.
My attention was drawn to a story she posted about a “Christian” landscaping company in Houston.

The Farbers, owners of Garden Guy have received world wide attention and professional censure because they told a gay couple that:

“I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals.”

Michael Lord and Gary Lackey were so shocked they forwarded the email to 200 of their closest friends, and so on and so on…

“I’m still shocked by the ignorance that exists in today’s society,” Lackey said in his e-mail.

Before this was over The Association of Professional Landscape Designers issued a none discrimination policy, kicked out the Farbers, and gay activists were likening this to racial discrimination.

A forum on the Garden Guy Web site, normally reserved for discussions about landscaping and shrubbery, was bombarded with angry comments and venomous attacks from as far away as Australia.

Some people attacked the Farbers’ beliefs, threatened the couple and their five children, and said they ought to be sodomized. Others condemned gays as sinners headed toward damnation. Farber, whose company’s Web site has long included Biblical quotes and a link to a Web site that opposes gay marriage, said she was shocked by the reaction.

“It was just our intent to uphold our rights as small business owners to choose our clientele,” she said. “All the hate, the threats of sodomizing my children, the threats of me being murdered, came out because of a very businesslike straightforward e-mail I sent. The crowd of tolerance and diversity is not so tolerant.”

But Farber said she and her husband have also gotten hundreds of calls and messages offering encouragement and have been touched by that. “We just cried. We have been through so much,” Farber said. “We become accidental crusaders for Christ.”

Hello. Well, er, no ma’am you haven’t become accidental crusaders for Christ, you’ve shown a social and business niavity that has nothing to do with Jesus and a lot to do with your own idea of respect and honesty.

There is enough immaturity and ignorance to go around for everybody.

I’m all for making the world a better place, one organic yard after another. 
Anger and death threats are wrong.
Anyone that responded in shock, anger and derision are as foolish and unwise as the business/clients/activists that ran with this.
I’m sure there are enough private Christian school yards in Houston needing landscaping that will keep the Farbers bank account fat and I’ve no doubt Lake and Lackey will find landscapers that respect the colour green.
Words can make powerful fences, can’t they?

Please don’t step on the grass on your way out, the legal discussion is over at LaShawn Barber’s Corner.