landscaping business has now become vilified around the world. That’s because its Christian conservative owners refused to do work for a gay couple.

A few weeks ago, a male couple requesting bids for a landscaping job at their new house in Houston received an e-mail from a co-owner of Garden Guy. The message said the business couldn’t meet with the couple because “we choose not to work for homosexuals.”

The e-mail was then forwarded to 200 of the couple’s friends, asking them not to patronize Garden Guy and urging them to pass the word on to friends and family.

From there, the e-mail has been forwarded to thousands of people around the world, and has quickly became the subject of heated debates on the Internet.

The owners say that they have also gotten hundreds of calls and messages offering encouragement.

Because of the furor, a professional association of landscapers created a non-discrimination policy.