Another antigay business owner has learned there are consequences to bigotry.
Earlier this week, Jeff Amyx hung a handwritten sign in the window of his Tennessee hardware store: “No Gays Allowed” in response to the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling.
“The Supreme Court did not speak for me when they voted to make this legal, and I can’t accept it,” Amyx told his local news station.
After the story went viral, Amyx was hit with a storm of backlash. It started with angry phone calls and emails.
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“A lot of people have called and cussed me and said nasty things,” Amyx said.
Then a Facebook group was created calling for people to boycott the store.
But it took budget moving equipment company U-Haul dropping Amyx as a customer and demanding he take down its logo from his website for the small businessman to rethink his actions.
On Tuesday, Amyx replaced the “No Gays Allowed” sign with a more polite but no less ridiculous one: “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.”
Related: Five Disgraced Business Owners Who Learned That Homophobia Just Doesn’t Sell
Creig Stearne
Justin L Llanas
Paul Galero-Phillips
He’s such a hypocrite.
Tony Chaplinski
anyone see this coming
Rob Ridings
Big Thanks to U-Haul for dropping their affiliation with his store! (y)
Anthony Most
So, it’s the same sign with more political language?
1EqualityUSA
Love conquers all.
Robin Mckennon
http://www.notalllikethat.org/taking-god-at-his-word-the-bible-and-homosexuality/
Jake McDermott
In other news water is wet.
RIGay
…and for folks like him, there is a sale on his NEXT sign; “Going Out Of Business”.
M J Martinez Crogan
Another mother phucker looking for a gofund me account
Stephen Meeks
That little voice you’re hearing in your head? That’s not God dude, that you trying to rationalize your stupidity.
AtticusBennett
because Jesus , or something, right?
All Good Christians know that you can’t sell gays home appliances, tools, or..um…..birdhouses? outdoor lights? tool kits?
the mind boggles.
i mean, really think on it – the supreme court declares that gay couples can marry across the nation. Who, in their right mind, gets upset about this? the answer: sad pathetic people with nothing to live for in their lives.
clearly, not being gay was the only thing this man has left.
Manuel Correa-Amsler
Matthew T Langan
Go in the closet & lock the door
Stache99
I see a go fund me coming soon.
John Williams
Stupid business move, most gays take a uhaul on a first date
Robert Kinzey
Thank U-haul. And there will still be a sign reading Closing. Such an asshole. Business is what it’s about. Making a living supporting family. Such a stupid store owner.
Michael Davy
He’s been serving gays since he opened the store. What a f@@@cking idiot.
Randy McKay
Hate is rarely a successful business model.
flexdoc
These people just don’t get it. Thank you U-Haul!
Willem Dunham
i can’t say that i agree with folks calling this guy and cussing him. no need to be rude. taking your business elsewhere speaks volumes. apparently, having a national company take away your franchise and demand you remove their logo from your website is a big ouchie, and will open the closed mind to consider other ways to discriminate.
also…does anyone else find it hysterical that it was u-haul that got pissy about it? who says lesbian dollars don’t count??
Jeff Phillips
how is my being gay, violate your rights or religion? I am not telling you what to believe or how to behave.
Cam
And let me guess, all the right wingers will start screaming that not shopping there is bullying.
Sorry bigots, that’s capitalism.
flexdoc
He will be out of business soon. Another pathetic bigot for GoFundMe to support.
John P Farinhas
His next sign will be everything 70%off will be going out of business
Hector Pagan
Hmm Karma !!ð???got u
Miguel Anselmo
My Ass |! afffffffffffffff
Miguel Anselmo
I hope that he and his company break.
Londale Foster
GoFundMe anyone?? Good Job U Haul…You will soon be on Food Stamps!! I have one Question: How many people did Jesus turn away? Come on Christians, defend ur Hate!?!?
Diego ONeill Santiago
Jim Latshaw
Deed was already done….can’t fix stupid!!!
Renate Dido
So much unnecessary hate, for what?
Bob LaBlah
I do wish they had listed what part of Tennessee he is in. The Klan museum is located Pulaski, Tenn. If it is anywhere near there the publicity just insured record profits for this guy.
Who, what, WHERE, when and why are what they taught me in Journalism 101.
Alan Carrier
Gotta live with the consequences of your actions. Sucks, huh?!
Jake Kunkel
Life is a bitch…then you get slapped upside your head….
Pablito Belanger
The last time we saw this guy, he was East Bound and Down smuggling Coors Beer with the Bandit. Haha
Carlos Rodriguez
Is not going to work either…
Richard Mailman
Rikard Pearson
but he changed it to something so PC that he should be embarrassed.
Robert Castaneda
Oh I love that 2nd sign he put up, so intelligent….NOT lol
D-ego Gomez
SORRY NOT SORRY BOO!!!!!!!
Robert Zakem
What? The new sign is better?
Steven Campbell
How do you pick which customer is gay and which is straight Mr. Store owner ?
Hugo Ferreira
every person has da right to love one another they see fit even if they r gay
Erik Ehm
You run a hardware store. How are you gonna alienate the lesbians?
Frank Sokolowski
Christopher Evangelista Casabar
And speaking of “God’s Laws” I don’t see any religious person today tries to keep the laws of Leviticus. And the use of Leviticus to condemn and reject the GLBT community is a obviously hypocritical selective use of the Bible against them. Why don’t people organize protests and picket seafood restaurants, oyster bars, church bbq suppers, all grocery stores, barber shops, tattoo parlors, and stores that sell suits and dresses made of mixed wool, cotton, polyester, and other materials?!? All these products and services are “abominations” in Leviticus. When have you heard a preacher condemn the demonic abomination of garments that are made of mixed fabrics? So yeah if the ruling violates his freedom of speech and freedom of religion, then he can’t served people has done these other abominations as well. Come on now…
Bill Mountrey
When it comes to tools – this fool is one.
BriBri
It’s always fun when idiots eat crow.
Zekester
His two signs reflect the age-old Christian battle tactic of quickly flipping from “I hate you and won’t serve you in my business” to “I’m the innocent victim of a hateful boycott from the people that I proudly announced I didn’t want as customers and because of that I won’t serve them!”
GeoffreyPS
“All Good Christians know that you can’t sell gays home appliances, tools, or..um…..birdhouses? outdoor lights? tool kits?”
But they might use them… in the home … together. It’s logical. As a god-fearing christian hardware store owner, would you be able to sleep with yourself (and your god-sanctioned second or third wife) if you knew that one of those tool would be going into someone’s ass? I mean come on! The gays are all about the anal sex. He’s just protecting them from themselves. And the bird houses have holes. Some even have two. HOLES!!! They could get slivers.
Dwight G Grogan
He’s only in it for the Go Fund Me money. This is the new Bigot Get Quick Rich Scheme!!
Albert Galowitch
Better find out how to file for unemployment and food stamps.
David Cartee
Bet if they had a ton of money to spend he wouldn’t give a shot
Michael Cunningham
More proof that hate and religion makes people crazy. Give up both and live a happy life.
Devin Spahn
Hahaha, so basically another company treated him the exact same way e treats gay people, and all of a sudden he’s offended someone could be so discriminatory!! ð??? What a loser.
Inked Woof
And how would he know that someone who entered his store is gay? If it’s a woman with short hair she must be lesbian? If it’s a guy wearing a tight shirt he must be gay? Lame!
Dan Oliver
Love wins, and stupidity loses!
Richard Cardenas
He has Bern renting to gay people for awhile…..now he is just finding out about the customers he rented to
Patryk Hall O'Really
Still a douche
da90027
Cousins should not have children this is why.
Larry Chin
Too late.
guyseese
FULL OF CONDEMNATION BUT LOW ON CREATIVITY? Go to wrongtorefuse.com for pre-made signs. (We noticed that hateful bigots make terrible signs… Design wise that is. Hand lettering can be charming but this dude in particular has terrible penmanship. A couple of us gays have decided to help these poor talentless souls out.)
Atomicrob
Ugh . . .
Atldeuce
It is in Washburn, TN. That is Grangier County. That info was in the local news report link.
Is Washburn close to Dadburn? Lol
SteveDenver
WELL DONE U-HAUL!
I am coordinating the move of a business from one warehouse to another and we need a dozen trucks and vans. I will be contacting U-Haul, and I’m going to let them know why. Now to find a retail affiliate who is also supportive of equality and fairness.
Benji TheHunted Mahaffey
soon the sign will be replaced with a giant “going out of business” sign 😀
Mr-DJ
Wow is he IGNANT, or WUT?! And he’s correct that the SCOTUS was not speaking for him – OR TO HIM. None of this was remotely ABOUT him. And now with his new sign, he is even going to refuse service to fellow Christians, like myself. Although that’s not exactly true. I am a Christian, while HE is obviously a KKKristian. But it also depends on if I fail whatever test he plans to use at the front door of his business. Maybe it’s some kind of scanner with an alarm. I wonder if it blows up when it detects someone is Gay AND Christian at the same time, since I’m sure he has it set to detect either/or?
brooklynbobby
@M J Martinez Crogan: But hasn’t gofundme made it policy now that if you are soliciting funds to pay off a penalty for something like this strictly off limits on their site? I know that a few of them got away with this at first maybe the bakery people and someone else but I think they pulled the plug on the pizza people and that crazy mechanic in Michigan who hadn’t even been challenged yet. gofundme is meant to help people that actually need HELP! People trying to start a business not pay legal bill or penalties because you have committed a crime. And they are committing crimes when they refuse to serve people based on sexual orientation when there is a state law on the books that says discrimination is unlawful.
Personally, i don’t think that something like this should be criminal. If the guy doesn’t want to sell me a hammer there is a hardware store two blocks over that is happy to have my business. I will just go over there. The thing is though. IF you are going to base your discrimination on your “religious beliefs” I think that you should have to prove that in fact you are THAT religious. Something like a letter from your pastor or priest or rabbi testifying to your strength of your faith and how often you attend religious services. If you can find a pastor or priest or rabbi who would lie for you. Well, then that’s the choice you make with YOUR god knowing all about it! And that religious official as well! Good luck with that!!!
AND secondly I think you should be required to put a CLEAR sign in your window where no one can miss it that says distinctly that you will not serve LGBT people. That way one of us will not unwittingly wander in where we might have to endure some potentially embarassing scene but also so that our family, friends and supporters can just skip right over your place of business and shop at that store 2 blocks away as well. And please make note that with, I think right now it’s 66% of polled Americans, that support marriage equality that will probably lead to at least a 66% drop in business for you along with the LGBT community along with their family, friends and supporters. Let them have their religious exemption. Just make it a little bit harder for them to get it. In this country you have to prove your faith if you believe in it that much baby!
Transconjohn Seattle
Apparently his morals are much more shallow than his wallet. Typical.
Rick Holtz
I’ll exercise MY freedom of speech ; Mr Business Owner, YOU ARE AN IGNORANT, HILLBILLY, FAUX” CHRISTIAN” DOUCHEBAG! And clueless when it comes to running a business. Thank God you’ll most likely be filing for bankruptcy soon.
BlueDude
LMAO! This is where “Freedom of Speech” and “Religious Freedom” (both spelled discrimination) gets idiotic bigots nowadays. From what seminary did he get his preachin’ card?
passingthru
@brooklynbobby: NO WAY. It is NOT ok to single out a class of people if you are doing business with the public. Think about what you are saying. Although there might be another store two blocks away for you, for some people, like those living in rural areas, it might be 100 miles to the next store. Where would you draw the line? If it’s a grocery store and a single mom with no car has no near place to purchase food for her children, is it OK to refuse to do business with her? There is no place for religious exemption for business who work with the public.
msfrost
The first amendment protects Freedom of Religion, it also means freedom from religion.
Towhit:
make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
Celtic
This “freedom of religion” claim is pure bullshit, used to veil their hate and intolerance. Frankly, I hope this S.O.B. goes belly up. He’s just a bigoted, hypocritical tight-assed old backward thinking redneck. Burn in hell, mother f**ker. I am damned sick and tired of these logger heads. And STOP giving them all this f**king media attention.
Gordon Wilson
What a stupid cunt.
Mack
@Willem Dunham: I agree. We bring ourselves to his level when we cuss someone out for stuff like this. You could call and say “thankyou but I’ll now take my business elsewhere-good luck-you’ll need it” Lets be civil about it. We’re better than this. I do know that maybe the ones who call may not be gay. They could be people just trying to make us look bad, but let us be the the better of the situation. Make him feel like the fool he is.
Michael J Fuhrmann
He doesn’t want business? God’s fan clubs, real idiots making real dumb mistakes.
Carol Clinch
I still wouldn’t shop there if his store were i my town..
Brenna Miller
He was quoted saying “I will never regret my decision.” I wonder if that’s still the case.
4runnergui
We have not taken ANY of YOUR rights away. You have the right to your religion and you have the right to your freedom of speech! How has granting marriage equality negatively effected your rights? I just don’t understand.
Sandra Carson-Price
Oh come on. The consequence is that he’s going to get a boatload of money from his new GoFundMe site and retire.
Joseph Puleo
He’s waiting for donations to come in from the hateful bigot gravy train
Mau Couti
Assholes never learn.
rickhfx
What are the dates of his comedy tour?
slinky49
Not moving, no need to haul anything. Might just go rent a truck anyway.
David Pickersgill
Ain’t equality a BITCH!!!!!!
Gerald GeeLocke Panuthos
Thank You, U-Haul!!!
Ladbrook
“A lot of people have called and cussed me and said nasty things,” Amyx said.
Yes, because posting a “No Gays Allowed” sign is NOT nasty and just overflowing with Christian love.
Dino Diamantakos
billeetee
Not to worry, the ‘Christians’ will throw money at him.
Stu Hipwell
Too late a$$hole – your actions have reaped the consequences. Good for UHaul!!
John
See we are falling into the “trap”…he will end up better off. He makes a nasty comment, the gays get their panties in a wad, he then closes and then he will set up a gofundme.com account and people say… he is being punished for his beliefs, lets send him some $$$. Truth be told, his business most likely sucked anyhow because of Lowes, Homo Depot etc and so he was already going under…Gays and “Christians” played again.
Cliff Porter
Jeremy Coburn
I don’t get it. If a gay person comes into your store, you are no longer free to practice your religion? I’m so confused.
Todd Kromer
His new sign is much more ridiculous.
Tony Sheridan
Dick head
Jerry Green
Sorry, I’m glad his business dropped. Biggots should suffer the consequences of their hatred.
mezzacanadese
What if a gay comes in his store and is not wearing lavender and flouncing around, and he doesn’t catch on that the person is gay?
Ai-Quoc N. Heller
How is just simply being Gay interfering with his life?
Michele Hotte Geraghty
Go ‘head…
John DeGregory
Thank you, #U-Haul
ScottOnEarth
Right on and thank you, U-Haul!!! This fossil is pathetic and in no way represents the God and Jesus Christ that are described in the Bible, yet he hides behind his religion. The truth is he’s terrified of change and what he doesn’t understand. I don’t wish harm on anyone but he deserves any backlash that comes his way because he is openly practicing bigotry and discrimination.
Celtic
Thank you for the term “fossil”! That hits it spot on. I lashed out with a few expletives, likely the only language he would understand. I came out 47 years ago, as much as anyone COULD come out in 1968. I have grown damned sick and tired of the gay hate. These guys live a fools’ paradise. Frankly, I hope his business tanks.
David Wayne Neal
Christians who are anti-gay have just as much a right to stand up for their beliefs as gays do.True.However,they also have to be just as tolerant of any reactions and hostile replies to their religiously superior proclamations as they expect gays to be of their anti-gay and religious rhetoric too.See how that works? Instead we are treated to a WHAAA fest by Christians who are anti-gay,as well as a performance of Persecution Theater and whining about being a victim when it comes time for them to put up or shut up.They are being persecuted if they do not get the last word on the subject of religion in general and homosexuality in particular,and especially if they do not get to assert their superiority by berating and disenfranchising gays from the same rights and privileges they enjoy.If they are not granted unfettered religious impunity,then it’s the end of the world for them!!! They will be just besides themselves at having others dare to use their equal freedoms of religious speech to hold them to the same religious measures and standards they use to slander and assassinate the characters of all gays with,as a “religious liberty” none the less.I mean how dare those inferiors contradict and challenge any anti-gay religious supremacist individuals with a superiority complex wrapped up in their religion and heterosexuality!!! How dare they expect such poor persecuted and legalistic moralists to have to put their $$$ where their big fat mouths are.THE NERVE I TELL YA! Yeah,I get the impression that for anti-gay religious types any of their whining and any of their intolerance for dissenting opinions from anyone else is because they feel such things makes them the victims in the equation,because they expect total tolerance for their viewpoints because the Bible.Apparently being hysterical persecuted ankle-biters just because someone did as they felt so free and unencumbered to do by replying just a nastily to their smug,impertinent,sanctimonious and overly generalized derogatory judgments of all gays everywhere is really just a way to passive aggressively censor gays and liberals Ya THINK?!
winemaker
This idiot really takes the cake for “STUPID”. Since this man is in business, in this case o hardware store, to earn a living and make money, he turned down good money for an illogical and stupid reason. I see both sides of this issue that was sure to come up once Marriage Equality became the law of the land. Surely as a business open to the public, he’s sure had hundreds of gay customers shop in his hardware store without him knowing they’re gay. Case in point: If I went into a small mom and pop bakery and wanted them to bake the cake for my wedding ceremony and if they politely told me they don’t bake wedding cakes for gay weddings on religious grounds, I’d leave the bakery thinking what a bunch of idiots refusing a money making job. Some in our community would probably get angry and sue the bakery for discrimination. I, on the other hand, would take my business elsewhere where it is appreciated and probably get a better made cake. With the first bakery, If I had to force them to bake my wedding cake, I can be sure that it would be like a packaged cake mix, corners having been cut on quality. As far as I’m concerned, only idiots turn down legitimate money making jobs, period!
Alan David Smith
I’m sure there are other store’s both independent and big box that would gladly take my money
esemple
Thank you U-Haul.
James Beale
THere is no difference in the signs meanings. On e sign is just more “polite”. Go Bankrupt
Brant-lee Broom
Same sentiment different words.
BigG
You have every right to free speech, but not the consequences baby! So many think they can say whatever with no ramifications. Delusional
Carlos Manuel Perez
Hope he goes out of business ASAP!
sos
One of the rules of business is the the provider of services/products has the right to refuse his services etc to anyone, just like the labourer has the right to withdraw his labour. Better that he notifies those he will not serve in advance so that you don’t waste your money in that store.
carlosuvedoble
Once you put up that sign there is no going back. Even if he says gays are now welcome I’d never step foot in that store in my entire life.
BruceMajors
I can’t wait for a transgender person, or any of the many other possible legally codified identities, to sue a gay or lesbian group for insufficient inclusiveness to the tune of $135,000.
Perhaps I will do it.
Not to mention all the straight people who are going to demand to be let into lesbian music festivals, gay cruises, LGBT 55+ and retirement communities, etc. No more freedom of association, only government approved association.
dwbyers1960
More Gay Nazi’s…
Zenguy
Is there a gay detector that sounds an alarm (and flashes a rainbow light)
when a gay shopper comes through the door of a store?
Unfortunately,this sort of idiocy is epidemic among the ignorant whose heads have exploded over the overall acceptance that gays are equal, and as normal or abnormal as everybody else.
realitycheckmate
You people are the absolute scum of the earth and even if all the world agreed with you, which it doesn’t, you will still lose miserably because even the universe opposes you and not just because of your hedonistic mudpuddle pogosticking, but because you are willing to wreck anything and everything in your attempts to get your own inflamed consciences (and everything else) to stop telling you that you are wrong, but your colons will never be birth canals and your lifestyles will never be right. You want to harm and enslave good people, well not all of us will cave to your tyranny, tread on us at your peril.
Repent.
Celtic
Wow. Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system you can go down into the woods tonight and get boned up your hole — which, by the way, you probably crave if you have not done so already. YOU are the one at peril, not so reality check mate. Did you ever actually READ the Teachings of Jesus? Nah, of course not. It is always easier to blather on when one talks through that who you so eagerly want to have plugged with a giant one. I spent three years completing graduate study in Christian Theology; later ordained. You are the FARTHEST thing from a person Jesus would consider walking with Him.
realitycheckmate
@Mr-DJ: Unless you acknowledge that homosexuality is wrong, you are not a Christian.
Celtic
You are a sad and pathetic troll for Satan. It is no wonder there are so many good-faith Christians now avoiding to announce their faith openly. You sit in judgment, the hypocrite and sorcerer of evil. No, mate, you are the wolf in sheep’s cloth and the false prophet. Clearly you have not accepted The Beatitudes or the Teachings. So, fan yourself in your self-righteousness because YOU are what is terribly wrong with religious faith today. And, spare me your rebuttal You are a lost and worthless soul, one of those the dust of which shall be shaken off our feet.
realitycheckmate
@Celtic: I don’t care what or where you studied, you have either twisted the Scriptures in favor of your vise or you never understood them at all, JESUS never wanted those who call their sins virtues and try to strongarm more honest people into agreeing walking with HIM. You are a worldly false sheep deceiving yourself and others.