Gay couple sues printing company after receiving Christian pamphlets instead of wedding programs

A same-sex couple is suing a printing company after they received Christian pamphlets that warned against the weakness of the flesh and temptation instead of the customized wedding programs the ordered.

Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg had ordered 100 blue and gold programs that included a list of the wedding party and the words to their processional song. But when the couple opened the package from Vistaprint, they were shocked to find 80 copies of a pamphlet titled "Understanding Temptation: Fight the good fight of the faith."

"Satan entices your flesh with evil desires," the pamphlet states, adding "sin is the result of your failure to resist the temptation."

The couple contended that the pamphlets were discriminatory and were intended to intimidate them because of their sexual orientation. There were no references to homosexuals in the flyers, but they were convinced that the message was a judgment about their lifestyle, their lawyers said.

"Our goal is to hold Vistaprint accountable for the harm they have caused ... and to send a message that there will be consequences for acts of hate perpetrated against others," the couple stated, according to New York Post.

Borg and Heasley paid $79.49 for the wedding programs they never received, and they had to print their own programs at an additional cost, the lawsuit claimed.

Their lawyer, Michael J. Willemin, of the law firm Wigdor LLP, contended that the case was an "egregious example" of a company that refuses to provide "equal services" to members of the LGBT community.

Borg and Heasley live in Australia, but they decided to hold their wedding in Coatesville, Pennsylvania so that their friends could attend. The couple is seeking unspecified damages in their federal lawsuit that was filed in Massachusetts District Court.

Vistaprint, a Dutch company which operates a U.S. hub in Lexington, Massachusetts, issued an apology after learning of the lawsuit and said that it is now investigating the incident.

CEOs Trynka Shineman and Robert Keane stressed that the company celebrates diversity and does not discriminate against customers based on their sexual orientation.

"We share in this couple's outrage. Vistaprint in no way condones -- and does not tolerate -- discrimination against any of our customers based on their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation," a statement from the company read, as reported by CBS News.

The company claimed that it had encouraged members of the LGBT community to use its services and had printed many wedding invitations, programs and other content for same-sex couples.

"We have begun a complete investigation to determine how and why the couple received these materials. If we determine that any Vistaprint employee or partner had any role in this situation, we will take strong action," it continued.