Four Florists Refused to Send Flowers to an Atheist

The Freedom From Religion Foundation tried to send flowers to Jessica Ahlquist, because she has received violent threats and condemnations.[1]   Ridiculousness ensued.

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Jessica Ahlquist, the 16-year-old student who fought to remove a prayer banner at Cranston High School West, will get a dozen roses Thursday.

But they won't come from a Cranston florist. Three refused to deliver the flowers, saidAnnie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a group based in Madison, Wis.

"Our jaws dropped" after two florists refused to deliver the flowers and a third said the shop was closed, Gaylor said.

A Warwick florist, Greenwood Flower & Garden,agreed to make the delivery, said Gaylor, who said the foundation would file a complaint with the state Commission for Human Rights.

"We are a national group and we've never seen anything like this in recent history," she said. [2]

This is how FFRF described it.

Late yesterday, the local florist called FFRF’s office to report she had struck out at three Cranston florist’s shops, including at Twins Florist, which responded to the order in writing with this statement: “I will not deliver to this person.” The other two shops mysteriously produced unusual excuses for refusing the order. Gaylor said when she heard this news, “My jaw literally dropped. Everyone is stunned by the bigotry.” [3]

But then...

WARWICK FLORIST WON’T DELIVER: The Warwick florist whose business was asked to deliver flowers to Jessica Ahlquist said Thursday he would not do so because of what he calls “negative publicity.”

“No matter what I do, I get punched in the face,” said Daryal Romano, the owner of Greenwood Flower & Garden. Romano said he decided to nix the delivery to Ahlquist after customers who heard about the delivery threatened to stop doing business with him.

Instead, Glimpse of Gaia in Putnam, Conn., has agreed to deliver the flowers this afternoon, said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Glimpse of Gaia’s owner, Stephanie Ewart-Condon, confirmed the delivery.

“I deliver to people of all faiths and non-faiths,” Ewart-Condon said Thursday. [2]

FFRF is filing a Civil Rights complaint against the florist who said, “I will not deliver to this person.”  [4] Like with the Gelato Man incident, the florist broke the following section of Civil Rights Act.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title II Sec 201

All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.[5]