Big Brother coercion is alive and well. The owners of Liberty Ridge Farm, a wedding venue, were penalized by the government for standing firm in their traditional view of marriage. According to The Daily Signal, “On August 8, [the New York State Division of Human Rights] fined Cynthia and Robert Gifford $13,000 for acting on their belief that marriage is the union of a man and woman and thus declining to rent out their family farm for a same-sex wedding celebration. The Human Rights Commission ruled that ‘the nature and circumstances of the [Giffords’s] violation of the Human Rights Law also warrants a penalty.’” What about the rights of the Giffords? The same-sex couple looking for a venue could have taken business elsewhere, but chose instead to file a complaint. “The Giffords’ case illustrates the growing conflict between religious liberty rights and laws that grant special privileges based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” the Signal notes. “In a nation founded on limited government and religious freedom, government should not attempt to coerce any citizen, association, or business into celebrating same-sex relationships.” More…