Originally a comment by themadtapper on As when you find a trout in the milk.
“It’s not about discriminating against gay customers, it’s about protecting religious liberty!”
Ok, so give me an example of what kind of scenario this law is supposed to help in.
“Well, maybe a florist doesn’t want to provide flowers for a gay wedding.”
So, the scenario in which this law, which totally isn’t about discrimination, is supposed to help in is a scenario where someone wants to turn away a gay customer?
“No! The florist just doesn’t want to participate in something that’s against their religion!”
So the scenario isn’t about discrimination or turning away gay customers, it’s about not having to participate in commerce with gay people?
“No! It’s about not having to participate in gay weddings!”
But the only way they’re connected to the wedding at all is by selling things to the gay people having a wedding.
“Exactly, and they don’t want to do that!”
So, they don’t want to do commerce with gay people that are having weddings and want to be able to turn them away?
“Dammit man, it’s like you’re not even listening to me!”
How about a florist who doesn’t want to provide the flowers for the wedding of a 16-year-old bride to a Muslim Brotherhood cleric?
A law isn’t even needed. All the business would have to do is admit that they are hateful bigots and the gays would stay away all on their own.
Because that scenario is totally plausible in fucking Indiana…
My favorite is when they try to create a hypothetical reversal: “Should a black photographer be forced to take photos for a KKK rally? Should a Jewish baker be forced to make a Swastika cake for Hitler’s birthday?”
Because nothing says “I’m not a bigot” like comparing a wedding party to a hate group.
The reminds me of the claims that the US civil war was about something other than slavery.
It was about states rights.
What rights were the states seeking to assert?
The right to own slaves.
It was bout property rights.
What property were they seeking to protect?
Slaves.
Chase down all the arguments and the US civil war was pretty much all about slavery, even as Lincoln, and others, didn’t want it it to be about slavery.
Chased down all the “religious rights” arguments and almost all of them boil down to a religious bias against homosexuality.