Mr Odgarrd refused to rent the quaint site to two gay men for a wedding. He told them "I can't take your money, and we don't do anything for free.The men filed a civil rights complaint and won, awarded $5,000. The Odgaards had built their church over 13 years into an art gallery,bistro,flower shop and a framing service. After the controversy, regular customers stopped coming. Friends and family members stopped speaking to them. They were vilified as bigots and haters. He stated one day they felt comfortably situated in American majority, as Christians with shared beliefs in God, family and the Bible. Overnight, it seemed, they discovered that even in small town Iowa they were out numbered, isolated and unpopular. Everyone they knew seemed to have a gay relative or friend. A year ago, they sold their church. End of story.
Article "Evangelicals' Turmoil...Split over Trump cut off by culture wars, many feel abandoned".