At any given moment, as many as 85% of all vehicles will need some kind of repair or maintenance.
But good luck getting the car repairs you need if you’re openly gay and live in Grandville, MI.
According to CNN, Brian Klawiter, owner of Dieseltec, recently made a statement on his company’s Facebook page encouraging gun owners to bring their cars to his shop — even offering a discount for those who do.
He also declared that openly gay customers are not welcome at his business, and that he has no problem turning them away at the door, citing his religious freedom.
“I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that. Dishonesty, thievery, immoral behavior, etc. will not be welcomed,” he wrote. “I would not hesitate to refuse service to an openly gay person or persons. Homosexuality is wrong, period.”
His post emphasized that conservative American voices are being drowned out, hence his reasoning behind making the post — explaining that “free speech isn’t just for liberals.”
Since taking to Facebook to write a mini-manifesto of his views, Klawiter told a CNN affiliate he has had to contact local police to remove protesters from his property. He’s also received hundreds of calls from across the country, as well as multiple death threats.
While acknowledging that his words could be interpreted as offensive, Klawiter explained he doesn’t regret making the post.
Currently, discrimination based on sexual orientation is not prohibited in the state of Michigan — and while some municipalities have passed laws banning discrimination of LGBT people, Grandville isn’t one of them.
According to WOOD TV, Grandville Mayor Steve Maas has said he’d be open to pursuing nondiscrimination laws that would protect LGBT people, but that the citizens of his town would need to ask for such legislation first. Yvonne Siferd, director of victim services for LGBT advocacy group Equality Michigan, made a statement urging Maas to pursue legislation protecting the LGBT community.
Shortly after Klawiter’s post, GoFundMe page was created to raise money in support of Dieseltec; it was removed from the crowd-funding site shortly after.