Justice Dept. sides with baker who refused to serve gay couple

[America Needs R'hllor]

On the one hand, forcing businesses to provide services to EVERYONE is problematic.
On the other- the mere notion of someone being denied service for his race/sexual orientation is repulsive and definitely against the principles we should have as democratic nations. Also, if one lives in a town where all bakeries won't provide him service because he's black or because he's gay- that is a terrible thing and he should be able to get service.
In conclusion- add sexual orientation to anti-discriminatory laws that already include race etc. LGBTQ people should be just as protected as people of color. A business should be able to deny service if the customer is being mean or violent- but if a baker wants to deny services because the customer is gay or black, which are exactly the same in terms of the lack of choice a person has over his birth, then let the damned baker pay a nice fine. A wedding gift, you could say.
Also, Wulfric-
You're making weird exceptions. Why is it just ok to deny services for a wedding and not ok otherwise? This is extremely weird. And lastly:

No Business should ever be allowed to discriminate based on race, religion, or sex (that's just sex, not sexual orientation or gender identity, although I do support some CSR protections for those groups.).

So now you're making an exception for sexual orientation or gender identity? Ok to discriminate based on it, but not on sex or race? This is worse than weird, this is bizarrely bigoted.

[America Needs R'hllor]

On the one hand, forcing businesses to provide services to EVERYONE is problematic.
On the other- the mere notion of someone being denied service for his race/sexual orientation is repulsive and definitely against the principles we should have as democratic nations. Also, if one lives in a town where all bakeries won't provide him service because he's black or because he's gay- that is a terrible thing and he should be able to get service.
In conclusion- add sexual orientation to anti-discriminatory laws that already include race etc. LGBTQ people should be just as protected as people of color. A business should be able to deny service if the customer is being mean or violent- but if a baker wants to deny services because the customer is gay or black, which are exactly the same in terms of the lack of choice a person has over his birth, then let the damned baker pay a nice fine. A wedding gift, you could say.
Also, Wulfric-
You're making weird exceptions. Why is it just ok to deny services for a wedding and not ok otherwise? This is extremely weird. And lastly:

No Business should ever be allowed to discriminate based on race, religion, or sex (that's just sex, not sexual orientation or gender identity, although I do support some CSR protections for those groups.).

So now you're making an exception for sexual orientation or gender identity? Ok to discriminate based on it, but not on sex or race? This is worse than weird, this is bizarrely bigoted.

Helping with a wedding is basically indicating one's full approval of a relationship coming into existence. No other occasion or service rises to that level.

Since liberals seem to think that whenever you say the word sex, you are also talking about sexual orientation or gender identity, I decided to clarify that I was not referring to those categories in that specific sentence. The only case where I think I would oppose 'LGBT Equality' outside of weddings is in the area of Bathroom/Locker Room Access for Transgender Individuals who have not undergone reassignment surgery (I support having a requirement that a Unisex facility is provided for such individuals, but oppose allowing them into their new sex's bathroom or locker room pre-surgery for reasons of safety and privacy.), but to be perfectly honest, I have not read the Equality Act of 2017 in full so it is possible there are other provisions I cannot support.

Yes, but in the end, all you're saying is that lgbtq Equality is not equal to racial equality. While a baker should be able to deny a gay couple service, he shouldn't be able to deny it to a mixed couple. That signaling out of lgbtq people is, in fact, discriminatory.

And no, I believe most liberals can distinguish between sex, sexual orientation and gender identity because, you know, the acceptance of different sexual orientations and gender identities, separate from sex, grew mainstream thanks to socially liberal politics.

[America Needs R'hllor]

On the one hand, forcing businesses to provide services to EVERYONE is problematic.
On the other- the mere notion of someone being denied service for his race/sexual orientation is repulsive and definitely against the principles we should have as democratic nations. Also, if one lives in a town where all bakeries won't provide him service because he's black or because he's gay- that is a terrible thing and he should be able to get service.
In conclusion- add sexual orientation to anti-discriminatory laws that already include race etc. LGBTQ people should be just as protected as people of color. A business should be able to deny service if the customer is being mean or violent- but if a baker wants to deny services because the customer is gay or black, which are exactly the same in terms of the lack of choice a person has over his birth, then let the damned baker pay a nice fine. A wedding gift, you could say.
Also, Wulfric-
You're making weird exceptions. Why is it just ok to deny services for a wedding and not ok otherwise? This is extremely weird. And lastly:

No Business should ever be allowed to discriminate based on race, religion, or sex (that's just sex, not sexual orientation or gender identity, although I do support some CSR protections for those groups.).

So now you're making an exception for sexual orientation or gender identity? Ok to discriminate based on it, but not on sex or race? This is worse than weird, this is bizarrely bigoted.

Helping with a wedding is basically indicating one's full approval of a relationship coming into existence. No other occasion or service rises to that level.

Okay, hypothetically, should a devout Catholic cashier be able to refuse to sell condoms? Or maybe just refuse to sell them to gay couples?

Should an accountant be able to refuse to help a married homosexual couple file their taxes jointly?

Should a religious bridal shop owner be able to refuse to sell a dress to a lesbian?

Should a devout realtor be able to refuse to sell a home to a newlywed homosexual couple, where they'll live together?

Should a mattress store owner be able to refuse to sell a mattress to a gay couple, knowing that it will be where they'll consummate the marriage?

Should a small hotel manager be able to refuse to allow a gay couple's wedding party to stay in his hotel's rooms?

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes.

Now replace homosexual with black, and see yourself becoming a racist.
But or course, homophobia is ok because of religion. The feelings of religious people are ALWAYS the most important.

[America Needs R'hllor]

On the one hand, forcing businesses to provide services to EVERYONE is problematic.
On the other- the mere notion of someone being denied service for his race/sexual orientation is repulsive and definitely against the principles we should have as democratic nations. Also, if one lives in a town where all bakeries won't provide him service because he's black or because he's gay- that is a terrible thing and he should be able to get service.
In conclusion- add sexual orientation to anti-discriminatory laws that already include race etc. LGBTQ people should be just as protected as people of color. A business should be able to deny service if the customer is being mean or violent- but if a baker wants to deny services because the customer is gay or black, which are exactly the same in terms of the lack of choice a person has over his birth, then let the damned baker pay a nice fine. A wedding gift, you could say.
Also, Wulfric-
You're making weird exceptions. Why is it just ok to deny services for a wedding and not ok otherwise? This is extremely weird. And lastly:

No Business should ever be allowed to discriminate based on race, religion, or sex (that's just sex, not sexual orientation or gender identity, although I do support some CSR protections for those groups.).

So now you're making an exception for sexual orientation or gender identity? Ok to discriminate based on it, but not on sex or race? This is worse than weird, this is bizarrely bigoted.

Helping with a wedding is basically indicating one's full approval of a relationship coming into existence. No other occasion or service rises to that level.

Okay, hypothetically, should a devout Catholic cashier be able to refuse to sell condoms? Or maybe just refuse to sell them to gay couples?

Should an accountant be able to refuse to help a married homosexual couple file their taxes jointly?

Should a religious bridal shop owner be able to refuse to sell a dress to a lesbian?

Should a devout realtor be able to refuse to sell a home to a newlywed homosexual couple, where they'll live together?

Should a mattress store owner be able to refuse to sell a mattress to a gay couple, knowing that it will be where they'll consummate the marriage?

Should a small hotel manager be able to refuse to allow a gay couple's wedding party to stay in his hotel's rooms?

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes.

Now replace homosexual with black, and see yourself becoming a racist.
But or course, homophobia is ok because of religion. The feelings of religious people are ALWAYS the most important.

I'm too smart to fall for you trick.  You are trying to get me to be inconsistent and be ok with discrimination against gays but not blacks.   I am a consistent libertarian and support the right to refuse service to any protect class.  I am a white, straight, male and if a business owner wants to reuse service to me because of any of those characteristics, the power to them.  Special snowflakes get their feelings hurt and go crying al the way to the courthouse to impose their ideology on others.  My common sense solution is simple, go to another baker or make your own cake.  I have baked cakes before, it is not all that difficult.  Consistent libertarianism on this issue isn't racist.  It is only racist is you believe racial discrimination should be legal and other forms of discrimination shouldn't be.  The government must provide all services equally to everyone but private business owners don't have that same responsibility.

You didn't "fall to my trick", you just confirmed that you're against anti-discriminatory acts like the civil rights act. That is a position that, even if not coming from racist tedencies, is definitely promoting racist policies. But, I'll say this- a blanket opposition to anti-discriminatory acts is better than opposing it only for sexual orientations, while supporting it for sex or race.