Michigan business owner refuses to serve gay people because you can't put a car together with "all bolts and no nuts"

"I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that"

Published April 16, 2015 6:03PM (EDT)

      (WOOD TV)
(WOOD TV)

Indiana business owners aren't the only ones who've chosen to turn their backs to gay customers in the wake of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Brian Klawiter, the owner of the car repair shop Dieseltec located in Grandville, Mich., made this abundantly clear earlier this week when he logged onto Facebook to announce his opposition to serving gay customers, underscoring "religious freedom" as his rationale. He also explained that he'd provide a discount to all (presumably, straight) gun-toting customers.

"I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that," Klawiter writes in his Facebook post. "Dishonesty, thievery, immoral behavior, etc. will not be welcomed at MY place of business. (I would not hesitate to refuse service to an openly gay person or persons. Homosexuality is wrong, period. If you want to argue this fact with me then I will put your vehicle together with all bolts and no nuts and you can see how that works.)"

Enough is enough. Our rights as conservative Americans are being squashed more and more everyday. Apparently if you...

Posted by Dieseltec on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Currently, there are no nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBT people in Michigan, nor are there any legal repercussions in Michigan if a business owner, such as Klawiter, chooses to turn away gay customers.

Expanding upon his original Facebook post, Klawiter told WOOD TV later, "If you have a vehicle that needs to be repaired, we’d be happy to do that for you. But if you want to come in here with your boyfriend and you want to openly display that, that’s just not going to be tolerated here."

Watch WOOD TV's exclusive interview below:


By Colin Gorenstein

Colin Gorenstein is Salon's assistant editor of internet and viral content. Follow @colingorenstein or email cgorenstein@salon.com.

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