Sign at Mount Pearl jewellery store upsets LGBT community - again
Members of the gay, bisexual and transgender community are upset with a sign hanging at a Mount Pearl jewellery shop — but the store owner isn't backing down.
It's not the first time Today's Jeweller and LGBT activists have gone head-to-head over a sign posted by the business.
The current poster — above a display case in the store — reads, "Man plus Woman equals Marriage God's Way." The quote is written over top of a photo of a smiling man and woman.
Local LGBT advocate, Noah Davis-Power, is appalled by it.
"We are in our 11th year of marriage equality in Canada, with Newfoundland and Labrador being one of the first provinces to do it privately, outside of the federal government bill," said Davis-Power.
"We are talking about Today's Jewellers with yesterday's mentality and it's simply not acceptable anymore."
In May 2015, another sign at the shop stirred up controversy. That one said, "The Sanctity of Marriage is Under Attack".
Today's Jeweller co-owner, Esau Jardon, said Friday the posters promote families and express his values - things he believes in and stands for.
Store owner won't remove sign
Jardon said he won't take down the current sign just to satisfy the LGBT community.
"They are trying to intimidate us, the LGBT group, to do what they want, to believe what they believe and we cannot believe how we believe," he said.
"So, it's a statement saying, 'no.' In Canada we have the freedom to believe how we want and as long as it's law abiding we can also post them, especially if it's on private property."
Jardon said there was a backlash against him following the controversy over the last sign.
He said he received death threats and his business was vandalized.
So far, nothing like that has happened since he posted the current sign, but he vows to take legal action if it does.
