That's your POV. You can disagree all you want, but they have a religious basis for their beliefs, and in this country the last time I checked you have a fundamental right to believe what you want as freaking warped or stupid as it may be. Once people are made aware , they have the right to shop elsewhere. This is so much easier then people make it out to be. There was no religious basis for segregation. Unfortunately, despite also the "love thy neighbor" stuff these people chose to entrench themselves in douchebaggery on the basis of religious text.
No. Institutional bias against gays is wrong. It has absolutely nothing to do with the religious aspect. In fact, there WAS religious basis for segregation. Religion was used to justify slavery for ages, and it was then used to justify subjugation and separation. Anti-miscegenation laws were based in the bible. The same liberal (different meaning) interpretation was used there as it is against gay marriage. "Traditionally", blacks and whites didn't interact or marry.
The difference between that segregation and this one is that there aren't "No Gays Allowed" signs in restaurant windows, separate bathrooms and other facilities, and separate sections for gays in venues and transportation. Like I said, institutional bias is essentially wiped out by the legalization of gay marriage.
Having said that, no you cannot refuse service based on sexual orientation. It's bullshit, and it's unlawful. I just haven't seen an abundance of REAL instances of it happening. That's my point. Nobody gives a freak what someone hypothetically argues. OH MY GOD, I MIGHT ONE DAY HAVE A GAY CUSTOMER WHAT DO I DOOOOOOOO? People are going to refuse the business, and someone might sue. Until it starts happening widely, I'm not going to get all up in arms.
He articulated it way better than I, but I gathered from his post that in the name of being outraged everyone's being a stupid excrement in this situation.
I was talking to my cousin yesterday and I said. "If you knew a business that engaged in such a practice, why would you look to use them?" Direct response: " I have no freaking clue." My cousin should have the right to marry his boyfriend and those working on the occasion should be invested into doing the best job they can, not dragged into it kicking and screaming because of legislation.
Again, it's only when it becomes a huge problem that there will even be legislation. I'm not suggesting I oppose enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in this case. If it becomes a real problem, I sure as hell hope people get forced to conduct business without discrimination. I just don't think it will ever come to that, and it sure hasn't to this point. People are pissed on principle, not practice.
A part of this is the continued crusade by the militant part of that community , Dan Savage types, to shove their righteousness down people's throats.
There's absolutely no way you can blame Big Gay and not Big Christian. freaking religion is shoved down our throats, but you're not complaining about that. I live in a super secular community, and my kids still say the Pledge every day and most people say "Under God". And yet I keep reading these people flipping their excrement about how God is being forced out of schools and no one says the pledge any more. I hear about how Christians are an acceptable persecuted group, and yet I don't see any of that excrement. It's all MOAR GOD MOAR GOD WE ARE LOSING GOD WHERE IS GOD? Shove shove shove. There is no more militant group in this country than Evangelicals. None. They freaking predominate, and even when a leader is a Dem, good luck saying you're not a Christian without a massive backlash and ouster from office. They rewrite history to say this is a Christian country, that the Pledge was always religious, and that our money always said In God We Trust. You're right, though, militant gays are the real problem.
Pizza is almost as abundant as freaking water. I'm sure there are 10 other establishments they would've been happy to cater a gay wedding.
Nobody asked the pizza place to begin with. That's why the whole thing is freaking stupid. Stupid hypotheticals that simply aren't coming true.
