Why in the world should bigots have any legal right to discriminate against anyone based on their religious beliefs? These are beliefs, nothing more. Feel free to believe anything you want– in private– but nobody should be able to justify bigotry in the name of religion. What kind of god do these people believe in that allows them to enforce their holier-than-thou brand of injustice on their fellow human beings? Whatever happened to “do unto others”? Whatever happened to civil rights and equality?
Oh yeah, this is America. What am I thinking?
The letters below nail it. The second one makes me want to convert from atheism to Anti-Discriminationism. I may even become such a born-again Anti-Discriminationist that I’ll start appearing on Sunday talk shows to evangelize. You know, just like Mike HuckaJesus does. We could have a hate-off; Huck can spew his disdain for gay people, and I can express my disdain for his pious, hypocritical, discriminatory BS.
Which all leads us to the aforementioned Los Angeles Times letters to the editor, because our voices matter:
If businesses are allowed to rebuff same-sex couples on religious grounds, how will we handle it? Will the businesses that choose not to serve gay and lesbian couples put up signs saying “Gays and lesbians not served here”? (“Should religion give businesses an excuse to not serve gay couples?,” Feb. 5)
How else will gay couples know which businesses will serve us? Are we expected just to go in and be told that we are sinners as we plan for our most joyful events?
Seeing as some business owners reportedly complained when other companies in Mississippi put up signs saying they serve everyone, it seems to me that they know this is discrimination, even though they’ve used terms meant to hide their true purpose.
Daniel McVey, Los Angeles
..
I confess: I discriminate against anyone who would bar other people on the basis of age, race, sex, disability, national origin, gender or even religion.
Lucky for me, bigots, homophobes, misogynists and religious supremacists are not, as such, members of a protected class that, having been historically subjected to invidious discrimination, warrants constitutional protection for fairness and equality in our society.
Thus, for now, my discrimination is not illegal. If it becomes illegal to discriminate against discriminators, I’ll simply start a new religion against discrimination in order to get an exemption.
Meanwhile, I will continue to exclude the excluders. After all, sometimes discrimination is an exercise in good taste.
David R. Fertig, Pasadena
Terrific post Laffy! This bit especially struck and stuck:
“What kind of god do these people believe in that allows them to enforce their holier-than-thou brand of injustice on their fellow human beings? Whatever happened to “do unto others”? Whatever happened to civil rights and equality?
Oh yeah, this is America. What am I thinking?”
Pree-cisely.
I’m so glad you picked up on that, Bear, thank you!!