Same-sex couple asks wedding dress designer to make garment. But she reportedly says no because 'it goes against my faith in Christ.'

Tiffany Allen and Angel Lane have been together for seven years and are planning to tie the knot — and Lane found a garment she wanted for the wedding.

So Allen contacted New York-based company D. AUXILLY to get payment information, but designer Dominique Galbraith wrote back saying she couldn't make the garment for a same-sex wedding because it's against her Christian faith, KTVI-TV reported.

"I wouldn't be able to make a piece for a same-sex wedding," the designer's response reportedly read. "It goes against my faith in Christ. I believe Jesus died for our sins so that we would live for him according to His Holy Word. I know you both love each other and that this feels right but I encourage you both to reconsider and see what the Lord has to say and the wonderful things He has in store for you both if you trust and obey Him."

Image source: KTVI-TV video screenshot

Long posted about the exchange on Facebook. It isn't certain how the designer knew the desired garment was for a same-sex wedding, but Long's post includes a screenshot of what appears to be Allen's inquiry email to the designer — and Allen signs her full name and makes reference to Lane being a woman.

The designer's response ends with "God Bless and be with you both!" and "I'm available to talk and share more about Jesus if you'd like. Feel free to call me," according to Long's post.

How is the couple reacting?

Now the St. Louis couple told the station they're planning to file a formal complaint against the company and are considering filing a lawsuit.

"I have friends that are Christians," Lane told KTVI. "I know people from so many walks of life, and none of them are hateful toward me and my fiance."

Image source: KTVI-TV video screenshot

She added in her Facebook post that the "discrimination" in this case came from "a woman of color."

Allen added to the station that "true Christian people — whether they're Catholic, whether they're Baptist, it doesn't matter — a person that truly has that heart will tell you that God doesn't make any mistakes. And if God doesn't make any mistakes, then I'm not a mistake. My fiancee is not a mistake."

Image source: KTVI-TV video screenshot

What does a legal expert have to say?

Marcia McCormick, a professor with the St. Louis University School of Law, told KTVI said the company is violating the law.

"The dressmaker is violating New York State law that prohibits discrimination on basis of sexual orientation," McCormick added to the station.

Image source: KTVI-TV video screenshot

The professor also told KTVI that while Missouri's laws prohibit discrimination, sexual orientation isn't factored in — but the laws of New York where the designer is based would apply.

The station said it reached out to D. AUXILLY for comment through email, phone, and social media but didn't immediately hear back with the company's side of the story.

Related cases

• The Supreme Court last month refused to take up a case involving Christian bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa, sending it back to the Oregon Court of Appeals for reexamination. And the high court also tossed out the decision to uphold a $135,000 fine against the bakery for refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony in 2013 by making a cake for it.
• Last year the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. Earlier this year, the state of Colorado dropped a lawsuit against Phillips for refusing to bake a cake for a gender transition. In June the same transgender individual behind the previous lawsuit sued Phillips for allegedly refusing to sell a birthday cake; an attorney representing Phillips dismissed the claim as "yet another desperate attempt to harass" the baker.
• Also in June, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that a Christian florist violated anti-discrimination laws when she refused to create flower arrangements for a same-sex couple. It was the second time the court ruled against Barronelle Stutzman, a great-grandmother and the owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland.