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Tax time is a stressful nightmare, and it's made all the worse when you have to worry about things that aren't even related to your taxes.
Amy Mudd tried to take some of the stress off her tax filing by going to a tax service recommended by her mother-in-law, but found nothing there but discrimination. The business had a sign with a list of ten things, most of which were required items to file your taxes.
But the tenth listing just says the preparer doesn't recognize homosexual marriage.
Mudd and her wife, Stephanie, drove over an hour from Glasgow, Kentucky to Radcliff to try filing their taxes with the Aries Tax Service. Mudd's mother-in-law recommended them for the flat $55 fee.
The appointment was arranged over the phone, but when Mudd arrived in person, she refused to even enter the office.
Hanging in the window was a sign that listed off required items to get your taxes filed (including a typo asking for the $55 upfront by "debit cars only").
However the last line only says:
"J. Homosexual marriage not recognized"
@FairnessCamp/Twitter
Seeing this hanging in the window, Mudd refused to even enter the building.
She said:
"We are not doing any business here!"
Mudd told the Courier Journal about the incident, saying:
"We have a wonderful family, and to be shamed because of who I love is awful."
"It's 2021 and I've never understood why discrimination is a thing. Black, Asian, Muslim, LGBTQ+, etc. We are all human."
The tax service is run by Ken Randall, who said he has "moral objections" to homosexual marriage.
He said:
"I have filed and do file for homosexuals who are single, as I do not ask about sexual preference prior to filing a return. This is legal, as I have already researched this."
Unfortunately, this is legal in multiple places in Kentucky. There are only 21 municipalities and counties in the state that have passed Fairness Ordinances to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
Attempts to pass a statewide ordinance have been met with fierce resistance from the Republican politicians that hold a supermajority in the state legislature.
But organizations like The Fairness Campaign are pushing for more cities to pass laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community.
Laws like that would turn this sign into an illegal act like a sign saying "interracial marriage" or "Jewish marriage" are now.
There is effort to protect LGBTQ rights at the federal level, with the Equality Act. This would provide LGBTQ people with the same basic protections others already have.
However, right-wing politicians have pushed back against the legislation, claiming it promotes the "supremacy of gays and lesbians and transvexhikes(sic)."