Hawaiian court rules bed-and-breakfast must accommodate lesbian couple

A state judge ruled Monday that a bed-and-breakfast in Hawaii was wrong when it denied service to two women on the basis of their homosexuality.

The Hawaii 1st Circuit Court announced its decision in favor of a same-sex California couple that sued Aloha Bed & Breakfast for discrimination in 2011, The Associated Press reported.

The case stems from 2007, when the two women, Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford, tried to reserve their room and specified they needed only one bed. The owner asked if they were gay, and when they answered yes, she replied that she was uncomfortable putting up same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs, AP reported.

The court found that the bed-and-breakfast violated Hawaii’s prohibitions against discrimination in public accommodations, which include gender and sexual orientation.

The attorney for the bed-and-breakfast owner, however, said the court did not consider the First Amendment when it handed down its ruling, AP reported.