Vistaprint: Satan Pamphlets Were ‘Incorrectly Sent’ to Same-Sex Couple Getting Married
Company Says ‘We Have Never Been More Disappointed to Let a Customer Down’
Vistaprint is responding after learning a marrying same-sex couple says they were sent Satan brochures instead of wedding pamphlets they had ordered. VistaPrint says the brochures were “incorrectly sent,” and promise “strong action” if they determine “any individual played a deliberate role in this mix up.”
Earlier this week NCRM reported that Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg had ordered specially-designed pamphlets for their wedding, which took place this past September. The day before they married Vistaprint sent what appeared to be anti-gay pamphlets. The couple is suing the company. In their lawsuit they describe what they received as “literature with hateful, discriminatory and anti-gay messages equating their relationship to Satan’s temptation.”
Wigdor LLP has filed a lawsuit against Vistaprint alleging unlawful discrimination against a gay couple who ordered their wedding programs from Vistaprint (left) and instead received a box of discriminatory anti-gay pamphlets (right). pic.twitter.com/DvDXFEJzZE
— Wigdor Law (@WigdorLaw) January 16, 2018
The lawsuit also states the brochures say, “Satan entices your flesh with evil desires,” and “Satan knows our flesh is weak. He preys upon our weaknesses to tempt us to sin. Satan can only influence us to want to sin. He cannot make us sin.”Â
In an email to NCRM Wednesday Vistaprint writes they are “taking this situation extremely seriously” and they “share in this couple’s outrage.”
The company’s CEO Trynka Shineman and Founder, Robert Keane, in an open letter add that they “have never been more disappointed to let a customer down,” and have reached out to Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg, the couple who traveled from Australia to Pennsylvania to marry.
“We support diversity and reject discrimination in all forms,” the letter reads.
To know that any customer could feel treated in such a way, especially during a time that should be filled with joy, is extremely disheartening. Imagine a customer who took the time to create something personal to mark this special day and instead, the day before their wedding, goes to open their wedding programs and finds materials that they feel had targeted them in a hurtful way.Â
Vistaprint in no way condones – and does not tolerate – discrimination against any of our customers based on their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
“We have begun a complete investigation to determine how and why the couple received these materials. What we have learned to date is that materials that were intended to be printed for one customer were incorrectly sent to this couple by a 3rd party fulfiller,” they say.Â
And they add they “have begun to plan how we can use our global brand platform to share a message of support for same sex marriage and equality around the world.”
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