[jwplayer adv4r4ea]
Sen. Ted Cruz, who’s winding his presidential campaign trail across a religious liberty platform, sat down with the Iowa Christian husband-wife team who were sued by gays wanting to marry in their chapel and told them: Your story is inspiring millions across the nation.
He made the comments in a sit-down chat with Dick and Betty Odgaard of Grimes, Iowa, who own and operate a wedding chapel and catering and flower business – but who have been attacked, sued and financially hit by a gay male couple who were refused marriage service because of the Odgaards’ Christian faith.
“Our country was founded by people who risked everything for religious freedom,” Cruz said, in a new video released by his presidential campaign and posted to You Tube. “And I want to thank both of you, number one, for telling your story. Your story is powerful, your story is inspirational. it inspires me.”
Cruz also millions across the nation have watched with intense interest the Odgaards’ battle through court.
“It inspires millions of believers, believers of many faiths across this country who want to live in a land where we’re free to live out according to our faith and our convictions and we’re not second-guessed by the govenrment stepping in and saying we don’t share your faith and we’re going to shut you down,” Cruz said.
The Odgaards said ran a successful business since 2008, performing numerous weddings in the chapel and providing accompanying flowers and food for the marriage guests. But that all changed in August of 2013, when “these two gentlemen came in and Dick was the one who had to deliver the bad news” and tell them they couldn’t be married in the Odgaard’s chapel, Betty said.
“And the they left … Next day, it was on a Sunday, we got the news they were going to probably sue,” she said, in the video.
Their suit and fight went viral.
She then said they were subjected to terrible treatment by many over the next few months.
“It was devastating to hear that we were bigots, we were homophobes, we were haters,” she said. “I just kept thinking, ‘They don’t know us, how can they be calling us all these horrible, horrible things.’ They don’t know what’s in our hearts. We have no hatred toward gay people.”
The couple has now stopped hosting any weddings at all, they said.
“And that has been quite painful,” Dick said. “And as a result of that the business has declined. We just can’t support it. So by the end of August, we’ll be shutting our doors.”
Cruz made the video as a precursor to his Aug. 21 Rally for Religious Liberty in Des Moines, Iowa.
Dick said, of his and his wife’s story: “What we hope we can do is try to change the course the best we can in the years we have left.”
