The city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, said a for-profit wedding chapel owned by two ministers doesn't have to perform same-sex marriages.

The city has been embroiled in controversy ever since the owners of the Hitching Post sued the city. They say a city anti-discrimination law threatened to force them to marry same-sex couples now that gay marriage is legal in Idaho.

The story lit up conservative and gay-rights blogs. Wedding chapel owners Donald and Evelyn Knapp said they feared jail time or fines if they declined marriage services to a same-sex couple.

Initially, the city said its anti-discrimination law did apply to the Hitching Post, since it is a commercial business. Earlier this week, Coeur d'Alene city attorney Mike Gridley sent a letter to the Knapps' attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom saying the Hitching Post would have to become a not-for-profit to be exempt.

But Gridley said after further review, he determined the ordinance doesn't specify non-profit or for-profit.

"After we've looked at this some more, we have come to the conclusion they would be exempt from our ordinance because they are a religious corporation," Gridley explained.

"The Christian Taliban need to stop breathing through their mouths, their breath stinks."

"Not gonna lie, I'm very surprised at this. And while I still think it's BS that a government-realized, for-profit business is given a religious exemption, I'm just going to sit on ACLU's coattails and see where this goes. Hitching Post has put itself on the line. They are now a RELIGIOUS organization in public light. So the moment that they screw up and perform a non-religious business transaction, the ACLU and the Coeur d'Alene Attorney General will be on them in an instant."

"Come on down to The Bigot Post!"

"As always, anyone who uses the words 'deeply held religious beliefs' needs to be punches in their fucking face."

"Fine. Assholes are assholes. Let's just move on, and be glad that ADF does not get its test case. May their Religious Business die a quick death due to lack of Religious clientele."

"So I guess the next time I go into a commercial business and discover it decorated in crosses with a prayer bench and its menu of services and/or products printed inside a Bible, I should realize I've entered the Twilight Zone, oh, my bad, I mean a 'religious corporation' that probably doesn't want my gay dollars, right? I dunno, folks, but at some point I think there's going to be a test IRS case or a lawsuit or both. You can legally stretch your deeply held effort to discriminate as a 'for profit' business only so much, if at all."

"Look at what is happening in Houston. The attorneys are drawing back the subpoenas, but teabagistan is still claiming persecution and will soon be having a huge hate rally there."

"If they want to play martyr, they should have kept it a business and suffered the slings and arrows of their homosexual overlords. Sounds like the Unruhs took the easiest possible way out. (I'm guessing they are tax-exempt now, too. Yippee!!)"

I spoke to Leo, the exec director of the Idaho ACLU. He is no happier than anyone else. They are constrained by the law, and I found them to be sincere and mournful over this.

We are going to work on bringing this to the courts, Idaho has several new laws working through the system that would bring this 'Hitching Post' issue back into focus.

When I spoke to them I was also very upset, but they were gracious and empathetic and they are not willing to accept this ...they just need the right legal framework, one where it is not just a fight against this couples' First Amendment rights.