Vistaprint sent a same-sex couple anti-gay pamphlets instead of the wedding programs they ordered
Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg, a couple who resides in Australia, were subjected to unacceptable discrimination when they attempted to order their wedding programs. Instead of the layout they ordered, they were sent pamphlets titled “Understanding Temptation: Fight the good fight of the faith.” Heasley and Borg said they felt targeted because they’re a gay couple.
The programs were ordered online through Vistaprint. Borg and Heasley ordered 100 copies and paid around $80. According to Buzzfeed, they realized the error just a day before their September wedding. The couple decided not to let this slide and filed a lawsuit against the company on January 16th.
"Rather than send Plaintiffs the custom wedding programs they had purchased, Vistaprint instead sent Plaintiffs literature with hateful, discriminatory and anti-gay messages equating their relationship to Satan’s temptation," their lawsuit states. "This conduct is morally repugnant and Vistaprint must be held accountable."
Vistaprint tweeted about the incident yesterday, January 17th, saying that they were “saddened” by the “incident.” The CEOs of the company, Trynka Shineman and Robert Keane, released a statement making it clear that those at Vistaprint “support diversity and reject discrimination in all forms.”
Shineman and Keane wrote that they can’t imagine the pain that Borg and Heasley went through upon seeing the hateful pamphlets, and noted that they’ve never been as disappointed as they are now for letting a customer down.
We are extremely saddened by the incident described in recent news articles about Vistaprint. We support diversity and reject discrimination in all forms. You can find our full response here: https://t.co/gNgj2m6hjy
— VistaPrint (@Vistaprint) January 17, 2018
Their statement didn’t sit well with some customers, who felt as though their phrasing minimized the severity of what happened.
Your statement's opening line is unbelievable and takes no accountability. "That they felt were hurtful?" You can't just directly acknowledge that they were, indeed, hurtful?
— Matt Kaufman (@KaufmanGaming) January 18, 2018
Vistaprint said that they’ve reached out to the couple to personally apologize for what happened.
"We are hoping to establish a dialogue with them so together we can use this incident as an opportunity to shine a light on important LGBTQ issues," the statement concluded.
love blooms @150, engaged @200, stoked to celebrate @ #abgt250 en-route to our US wedding!🇦🇨👨❤️👨🇺🇸#MarriageEquality🏳️🌈 #PushTheButton pic.twitter.com/5z9UPE4Ncn
— Stephen Heasley (he/him) (@s_heasley) August 28, 2017
It’s still unclear how the company let this happen, and our hearts go out to both Borg and Heasley. We hope they were able to have a beautiful wedding surrounded by love regardless of this hurtful and discriminatory incident.