Kentucky Tax Preparer Defends Refusal to Work With Gay Couples: “This is Legal” April 8, 2021

Kentucky Tax Preparer Defends Refusal to Work With Gay Couples: “This is Legal”

Aries Tax Service in Radcliff, Kentucky is offering a special deal right now: $55 for anyone who wants to electronically file their taxes. Owner Kenneth Lee Randall just needs you to bring him a few things: social security cards for your dependents, checking account information, and a promise that you’re not a married homosexual.

That last one’s seriously on his sign: “Homosexual marriage not recognized.”

(Not the point, I know, but I would like to learn more about these “debit cars.”)

When asked about the sign, Randall stood by his bigotry:

Randall, 65, told The Courier Journal in an email he has “moral objections to homosexual marriage.”

“I have filed and do file for homosexuals who are single, as I do not ask about sexual preference prior to filing a return,” Randall said, adding “this is legal, as I have already researched this.”

Nothing like a bigot whose best defense is I know I can get away with this. He’s right, though. There’s no non-discrimination ordinance to protect LGBTQ people in his county. The Republicans in the Kentucky legislature aren’t going to pass anything statewide either.

It’s not even the first time something like this has happened. In 2019, a lesbian couple filed a joint return at a tax preparer’s office in Indiana, only to be told by owner Nancy Fivecoate that her Christianity prevented her from being a decent human being and working with them.

The underlying hypocrisy is unbelievable, too. Randall says he has a problem with same-sex marriage, but what about all the other “sins” his straight clients commit? A straight man could spend money on gambling, alcohol, and drugs and still get his taxes done by Randall while a gay couple that volunteers at their church would be turned away — all because bigots like this guy pick and choose which “sins” matter to them.

The courts won’t help here. But public shaming could make a difference. Because while same-sex couples can’t get their taxes done here, no one else should want to support this kind of monster either. Hell, there’s literally a sign on his door expressing his anti-LGBTQ beliefs!

Let him advertise his services in an evangelical church where his brand of hate is accepted. He deserves to struggle everywhere else.

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