Presidential candidate Ted Cruz released a video today featuring Dick and Betty Odgaard, a straight Iowa couple who refused to rent their bistro to a same-sex couple for their wedding back in 2013.
From The Huffington Post:
"While some GOP candidates have tried to avoid talking much about same-sex marriage, Cruz has been more vocal in his opposition. In April, he introduced legislation to push a constitutional amendment protecting states that barred marriage equality. And after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide last month, Cruz said that states could essentially just ignore the justices' decision.
Dick and Betty Odgaard own and operate Gortz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa, a former church that they converted into a bistro. In 2013, they turned away a same-sex couple who inquired about renting the wedding venue. The Odgaards, who are Mennonites, refused to work with the two men because of their sexual orientation...
'Dick and Betty inspire me,' Cruz says in his video, highlighting 'their incredible journey fighting to defend religious liberty.'"
While the Odgaards stopped providing wedding services altogether to avoid serving same-sex couples, the legacy of their discriminatory act still echos in today's hotly contested presidential race.