Carl and Angel Larsen are storytellers.Through their St. Cloud video and film production company, they want to tell the story of marriage and celebrate its historical and biblical definition as a union between a man and a woman.

The lawsuit they filed this week in federal court is a preemptive strike against a state law that the Larsens say will prevent them from pursuing their artistic and business goals and which forces them to keep silent about their religious beliefs.

“I think this case is about securing freedom for everyone, that Americans shouldn’t be afraid of challenging unjust laws,” Carl Larsen said. “That’s really kind of a history of the civil rights movement in America. I think our case should be something that everyone should be concerned about, in a positive way. Because if we win, everyone is more free to live according to your conscience.”

The Larsens, through their company Telescope Media Group, sued Minnesota’s human rights commissioner and its attorney general, challenging provisions of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Their suit is one of many nationwide involving Christian businesses that are attacking laws forcing them to do business with clients whose beliefs differ from their own.

The Larsens, who haven’t yet jumped into the wedding business, fear that they will be charged with violating the Human Rights Act if they turn down a same-sex couple, or people posing as a same-sex couple, who request their services.

When Minnesota voters defeated an constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, the Larsens had two choices, said their attorney, Jeremy Tedesco. They could abandon the idea of using their company for weddings, he said.

Jeremy Tedesco   (Photo: Courtesy Alliance Defending Freedom)

“Or, go ahead and enter the industry and immediately be operating in violation of a law that has criminal penalties involved,” Tedesco said. “The only option they had, if they wanted to tell these stories, was to file the lawsuit to try to get an injunction before they even enter the industry. Because they’re just playing with fire if they entered the industry.”

The Larsens have been in the film and video production business for eight years and provide a broad range of services, from recording live events, directing and editing, sound design and animation. They work around the world and for clients that include corporations, evangelistic crusades and colleges.

Not all of their jobs are Christian-centered, but they all have to align with their beliefs, they said. They’ve turned down jobs that don’t align with those beliefs, they said, and often refer potential customers to other companies that might be able to help them.

“Carl refers people all the time. For any project that he can’t fulfill, he refers people that he thinks would be a great fit,” Angel Larsen said.

Marriage is a central theme in their lives. They’ve led premarital counseling sessions, and Carl Larsen has officiated at weddings.

“When the law changed, we were concerned,” he said. “So we explored our options and felt this would be the most helpful route to secure freedom for everyone.”

“This lawsuit is part of a pattern of nationwide litigation that is now aimed at eroding the rights of LGBTQ Minnesotans,” said Kevin Lindsey, human rights commissioner. “The Administration is committed to ensuring that all individuals within the LGBTQ community are treated fairly and with respect.”

A case in Kentucky has close parallels to the Telescope Media case. In that case, a group organizing a gay pride festival sued a T-shirt print shop that refused to print T-shirts for the festival. The print shop lost at the commission level, but a circuit court reversed that decision and ruled in favor of the shop, Tedesco said.

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Carl and Angel Larsen talk about their beliefs during an interview Wednesday, Dec. 7, in St. Cloud. The Larsens have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging provisions of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. The Larsens own Telescope Media Group.   (Photo: Dave Schwarz, [email protected])

“The government shouldn’t have this kind of power to scare Christians into keeping their beliefs silent and keeping them private,” Tedesco said. “That’s not freedom.”

The man who led the effort to pass Minnesota’s marriage equality measure said that state law is clear. If you do business in Minnesota, you can’t discriminate based on sexual orientation, said Richard Carlbom, the former mayor of St. Joseph.

“They are not striving to treat others the way they want to be treated,” Carlbom said, “which is the most Christian thing to do and the only way to honor the same Jesus Christ I worship.”

The Larsens have received numerous hurtful messages since news broke that they had filed the lawsuit. What’s important to acknowledge, Carl Larsen said, is that the people sending those messages have the right to say those things.

“They’re absolutely free to express their opinion without government punishment,’ he said. “And what we’re seeking in the case is that same freedom, that we can express our opinion and live according to our beliefs in a way that allows us to consistently express our religious beliefs protected by the First Amendment.”

The Larsens’ lawsuit is about isn’t just same-sex marriage, Tedesco said. It’s also about the right of artists in creative professions, especially the film and video production world, to be able to do work that sparks their passions and agrees with their beliefs, he said

“Once you take it away from one person, like Carl and Angel,” Tedesco said, “what stops the government from taking it away from other people and other professions?”

“If we tell one story, the law currently requires us to tell a story that’s directly contradictory to that,” Carl Larsen said. “That’s where the objection comes in.”