Wrong. No hyperbole. That was exactly how the law was written. Ignorance destroys your credibility. An amendment was proposed that would prevent anyone from denying emergency services or withholding care in life threatening situations. It was defeated. So yes, a cop, EMT, firefighter, doctor could absolutely refuse care/assistance. Hopefully most would not. But under the law as written, they could, and would be exempt from any legal consequences as long as they cited religion. No one on this planet (as opposed to right wing blogosphere) is targeting Christian providers because the disagree with their religious beliefs and want to shut them down. The opposite. Some businesses are unaware of the difference between a business and a church. They take my (Jewish lesbian) tax dollars for their police and fire protection, to pay for the roads and transit their employees and customers use, for public schools to educate their employees, for their health department certification and last but not least to pay for elections so they can vote for gay hating bigots. Then they claim a "right" to discriminate by refusing service? Like the lunch counters that would not serve African Americans? I don't have to check my heart. I'm not the one promoting discrimination and calling it freedom.
A bunch of them claimed they didn't know what they were voting for. Which is frightening, does that mean that if they don't know what their voting for they just for yes?!?
Thank goodness the US Congress takes their votes much more seriously. [video=youtube;hV-05TLiiLU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-05TLiiLU[/video]
The problem is how does someone or a business get to decide? If you're a Muslim who drives a cab you have to pick up Christians. But what's the standard for determining someone is gay? Does the business owner determine if the person looks gay? Sounds gay? Is that something the business owner has a right to ask the customer? "Hey, are you a ***?!?" What if someone orders a cake that says happy anniversary Pat and Mike? Does the business owner have a right to ask if Pat is as a man or woman? What about if I'm not gay but want to buy a gift for someone that is? Does the owner of the business have a right to ask me if I'm buying for gay people? If I tell him that I am does he have the right to tell me to leave his store?
You make an excellent point, and one that gay people fail to see. No one is actively trying to figure out whether or not someone is gay. A gay person could frequent a bakery all they wish. However, if they ask for a cake to be made celebrating their union stating they're gay, and demand the fundamentalist baker make it for them, then that baker is then being told to violate his faith. What is more important? Someone's right not to be refused service or someone's right to follow their faith?
So I'm curious, what if the hypothetical cake maker says they're all booked up when a gay couple comes in to order a cake. Can the gay couple call shenanigans? Does the bakery then have to provide proof that they are, in fact, booked up? I'm just thinking of alternative scenarios where a business might refuse business without outright refusing business.
What if the person ordering the cake says, "Fine, leave it plain and I'll put the groom and groom cake topper on it myself." I can see asking a Jewish bakery saying no to making a non-kosher cake but is the bakery owner upset at offering the exact same product to he offers to a straight person to a gay person or is it that he has to decorate the cake for a gay person? What if a gay wedding planner is ordering a cake for a straight couple's wedding? Can that same baker have a right to turn away the business because the person ordering the cake is gay?
I used that specific example because there is a baker being driven out of business here in Colorado for refusing to decorate a cake congratulating two men on their marriage. He told them he would happily make the cake, but would not be able to decorate it.
Most wedding cakes are not personalized with names written in icing on the cake. The only difference between a gay wedding cake and a straight wedding would be the little couple they put on top of the cake. If a bakery selling the cake doesn't want to offer a same sex wedding cake topper I think that's fine. But I think (and this is just my opinion) they have to offer a cake without any couple topper to the gay couple.
I have no problem with that at all. As long as he doesn't charge the same as a cake that is completely decorated and offers some sort of a fair discount I think that is fair.
What if the cake maker is gay and doesn't want to write the bible verse on a straight person's cake because he hates Christians?
Private businesses reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. They also get to enjoy the loss of a demographics business if they refuse to serve them. If someone is willing to lose money over their biggotry why is that your problem? Give their competition your business, its the best way to get back at them.
I think if the gay baker refused to sell the person any cake at all I think that is wrong. If the gay baker doesn't want to write that on a cake he should still have to sell that person an undecorated cake.
That is completely not true. You can not deny service to someone based on color of skin or if they are handicapped.
