In Indiana, let them eat gay weddg ke (Opn) | CNN

Contents:

• CAN AN INDIANA BAKER LEGALLY REFE TO MAKE A WEDDG KE FOR A GAY UPLE?
• CHRISTIAN-OWNED INDIANA BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE CAKE FOR GAY MAN'S WEDDG CLOS SHOP
• SWARENS: HERE'S WHY WE ALL LOST SUPREME COURT GAY WEDDG KE SE
• PENN JILLETTE: IN INDIANA, LET THEM EAT GAY WEDDG KE
• HOW THE GAY WEDDG KE SE COLORADO MAY AFFECT LGBT RIGHTS INDIANA
• OWNERS WHO REFED KE FOR GAY UPLE CLOSE SHOP
• GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE
• GEE TAKEIUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 11:06AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 02, 2015 1:19PM EDT STEVEN BRAHMS/THE NEW YORK TIM, VIA RXTHERE’S BEEN A LOT OF SOUL-SEARCHG LATELY ABOUT THE MYRIAD “RELIG FREEDOM” (RFRA) LAWS THAT HAVE BEGUN POPPG UP AROUND THE UNTRY PLAC LIKE ARIZONA, MISSISSIPPI, MICHIGAN, GEIA, ARKANSAS, AND, MOST FAMOLY, INDIANA. MUCH OF THE BROUHAHA BEGAN WHEN A BAKERY WAY OUT OREGON, ACTG ON THE RELIG BELIEFS OF S OWNER, REFED TO MAKE A WEDDG KE FOR A GAY UPLE. TH WERE BORN THE GREAT KE BAT.OF URSE, THE ISSUE NS MUCH EPER THAN THAT. THE KE IS REALLY JT THAT, A KE—BUT IF YOU BELIEVE THE RHETORIC OF THE RIGHT, WE GAY PEOPLE ARE TRYG TO HAVE OUR MARRIAG AND EAT OUR K, TOO.SUPPORTERS OF THE RFRA LAWS MONLY POT OUT THAT A FERAL VERSN OF THE LAW HAS BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A LONG TIME—SCE 1993 FACT—AND WAS SIGNED BY PRINT CLTON. THEY ARGUE THAT THERE ULD BE NOTHG WRONG WH FURTHER PROTECTG THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF CIZENS TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY WANT TO BELIEVE, TO ASSOCIATE WH WHOM THEY WANT TO ASSOCIATE, AND TO BAKE FOR WHOMEVER THEY WANT TO BAKE. AND WHAT IS MORE, THE ARGUMENT GO, REQUIRG A CHRISTIAN BAKER TO MAKE A KE FOR A GAY UPLE IS NO BETTER THAN REQUIRG A JEWISH ONE TO BAKE A SWASTIKA KE FOR A NEO-NAZI UPLE.CRICS OF SUCH LAWS, AND I AM ONE OF THEM, UNTER THAT STAT ARE RURRECTG THEM A CYNIL RPONSE TO MARRIAGE-EQUALY CISNS G OUT OF FERAL URTS. THE LAWS WERE ORIGALLY ENACTED TO PROTECT CERTA INDIAN TRIBAL R OM ERNMENT TSN. THEY WERE NEVER TEND TO EXTEND THE PERSONAL RIGHTS OF CIZENS SO FAR AS TO POTENTIALLY IMPGE UPON THE PUBLIC ACMODATN RIGHTS OF OTHERS. TH TWISTED, THE RFRA TRANSFORMS TO A LICENSE TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PERSONS. THAT IS WHY NTEXT—THE REASON THE LAWS WERE DRAFTED TODAY—MATTERS A GREAT AL, AND WHY SO MANY STAND OPPOSED TO THEIR ENACTMENT. SO THEN, WHAT IS REALLY GOG ON BENEATH THE POLICS AND THE LEGAL MANVERG? WHY WOULD A STATE LIKE INDIANA WANT TO ARM S CIZENS WH THE POWER TO DISCRIMATE, TO REFE TO MAKE THAT KE, PECIALLY AFTER FERAL LAW HELD THAT LGBT UPL’ VOWS ARE EQUALLY WORTHY OF RPECT AND PROTECTN? AND WHY DO THAT NOTN S SO BADLY WH SO MANY THAT WE ARE OUT LLG FOR BOYTTS OF AN ENTIRE STATE?PERHAPS IS MY NEARLY 80 YEARS OF PERSPECTIVE, BUT I NNOT HELP BUT THK WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE ON A MORE SER AND ADLY LEVEL—DOWN THE SOUTH, WHEN AIN AMERINS FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE. MANY STATE ERNMENT THERE DID NOT LIKE THE TREND TOWARD GREATER PARTICIPATN BY MORI ELECTNS, AND SO EVEN THOUGH THE 15TH AMENDMENT GUARANTEED THE RIGHT TO VOTE, THEY PUT MEASUR PLACE TO UNRCUT THAT RIGHT; POLL TAX, LERACY TTS, AND THE NSTANT THREAT OF VLENCE KEPT BLACK VOTERS AWAY ON ELECTN DAY. EVEN AFTER THE VOTG RIGHTS ACT ENACTED 1965, S ENFORCEMENT WAS WEAK. STAT DID NOT LIKE WHAT THE POLICIANS AND JUDG WASHGTON HAD CID, SO THEY CID NOT TO PLAY ALONG. INSTEAD, THEY DID WHAT THEY ULD TO MAKE PAFUL FOR ANYONE TO ENJOY THE US OF A CIVIL-RIGHTS VICTORY. THE LAW MAY HAVE SAID “EQUAL,” BUT THE STAT STILL WANTED “SEPARATE.”TODAY, PROPONENTS OF THE RFRA WANT TO SEND A SIAR MSAGE: “FERAL LAW MAY SAY YOUR MARRIAG ARE EQUAL, BUT THE GOOD, P PEOPLE OF THIS STATE THK OTHERWISE, AND SO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEND SO MUCH AS A FGER FOR YOU.” ESPECIALLY SMALL TOWNS ACROSS THE UNTRY, THAT MSAGE SOMETIM TRANSLAT TO ONE OF OPEN HOSTILY: GO AHEAD AND HAVE YOUR GAY MARRIAGE; YOU MAY NOT FD ANYONE HERE WILLG TO HELP YOU WH .IN MANY WAYS, THEN, MORN DAY RFRA TLY ARE “SORE LOSER” LAWS SIGNED TO MAKE AS HOLLOW AS POSSIBLE THE US OF MARRIAGE EQUALY. THAT THE STATE WOULD SANCTN THIS TYPE OF LAW, WHICH EFFECTIVELY GIV SHOPKEEPERS AND PROPRIETORS THE RIGHT TO TURN-OUT-THE-GAYS, FEEDS TO A GENERAL UNWELG ATMOSPHERE WHERE LGBTS NNOT FEEL ACCEPTED OR AT PEACE, PRECISELY BEE THEY NEVER KNOW WHEN OR OM WHOM THE NEXT DIGNY WILL E.WH REGARD TO THE DREAD AND MUCH-TOUTED SWASTIKA KE, SIMPLY IS A FALSE ANALOGY. COMPARG LGBTS TO NAZIS, FASHNABLE AS IS, MISS SEVERAL CCIAL DISTCTNS. THERE SIMPLY IS NO LONG AND PERNIC HISTORY OF NAZIS NOT BEG ALLOWED TO MARRY EACH OTHER. THERE ARE NOT LNS OF NAZI UPL AFFECTED BY THE VIEWS AND VOT OF NON-NAZIS. ON THE OTHER HAND, LGBT UPL HAVE UNTIL RECENTLY OFTEN BEEN TOLD BY LARGELY STRAIGHT LEARS ELECTED BY LARGELY STRAIGHT VOTERS THAT OUR RELATNSHIPS ARE LS VALUABLE AND NOT WORTHY OF PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE AND LEGAL REGNN. THAT IS WHY ANTI-DISCRIMATN LAWS, PASSED PLAC OTHER THAN INDIANA, ARE AT PAS TO INTIFY DISCRETE GROUPS TRADNALLY MARGALIZED OR MISTREATED BY THE MAJORY. IT IS ALSO WHY THE LAW DRAWS DISTCTNS BETWEEN THOSE WH GENERALLY IMMUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS SEXUAL ORIENTATN, VERS THOSE WH PERSONAL BELIEFS SUCH AS NAZISM, HOWEVER REPUGNANT.NO ONE IS SAYG A JEWISH SHOPKEEPER SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE A SWASTIKA KE FOR A NAZI UPLE, NOR SHOULD THEY HAVE TO MAKE A KE WH AN OBSCENY ON IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO. RATHER, WE ARE SAYG THAT THE ERA OF EXPANDG EQUALY FOR LGBTS, THE LAW HAS FALLY ACCEPTED LNS OF OUR RELATNSHIPS AS EQUAL S EY. A BAKERY HELD OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A GAY UPLE’S REQUT IS AS GOOD AS A STRAIGHT ONE’S, AND MT ACT ACRDGLY. AFTER ALL, ONE OF THE FOREEABLE NSEQUENC OF PERMTG SAME-SEX MARRIAG IS SAME-SEX WEDDG K. AND NTRARY TO MYTH, WE WILL NOT GENERALLY MAKE AND RATE OUR OWN K. IN FACT, WE HAVE E VERY FAR OURSELV, ENTSTG MANY STRAIGHT BAKERS WH THIS LITE MISSN.SO IF YOU ARE A BAKER WH YOUR DOOR OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, YOU MAY NOT EXEMPT YOURSELF OM BAKG FOR SOME KDS OF UPL SIMPLY BEE OF YOUR PERSONAL RELIG BELIEFS, OR BEE YOU WANT TO MAKE GAY PEOPLE FEEL LOY ON THEIR WEDDG DAY. YOU MAY NOT DO THIS, JT AS YOU MAY NOT REFE TO MAKE A KE FOR AN TERRACIAL UPLE, EVEN IF YOU BELIEVE ’S AGAST GOD’S WILL THAT THE RAC TERMARRY, AND EVEN IF THIS BELIEF IS SCERE. YOU DO NOT GET TO ELEVATE YOUR BELIEFS SO HIGH AS TO ANOTHER PERSON’S EXPERIENCE AND PARTICIPATN SOCIETY. INSTEAD, YOUR OPERATN IS PART OF THE SOCIAL NTRACT WE ALL IMPLICLY SIGNED ON TO AS PART OF THIS CIVIL SOCIETY.IT IS THIS VERY SOCIAL NTRACT THAT WE HAD MD WHEN LLG FOR BOYTTS OF STAT PASSG OR NSIRG RFRA TODAY. THE INDIANA BOYTT, WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE SUCCSFULLY ED THE LEGISLATURE TO MOVE QUICKLY TO FANG , SENT A POWERFUL SIGNAL THAT WE WILL NOT BE JIM CROWED AGA, AND THAT STAT REFG TO ABI BY THE SPIR OF FERAL MARRIAGE REGNN WILL BE SHUNNED. THEY N CHOOSE TO THUMB THEIR NOS, AND CYNILLY TO EMPOWER THEIR CIZENS WH THE RIGHT TO BE UNCIVIL THE NAME OF THEIR BELIEFS, BUT THERE ARE, AND MT BE, NSEQUENC TO THAT. WEDDG K WILL BE MA FOR BOTH STRAIGHT AND GAY UPL, SEEMS, THE HOOSIER STATE.SO THERE IS, MY THOUGHTS ON THE GREAT KE BATE. DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON FLORISTS. GEE TAKEI
• THIS EVANGELIST ASKED A GAY BAKERY TO MAKE A TRADNAL MARRIAGE KE. NOW HE MAY FACE CHARG.
• BAKER WHO REFED TO MAKE KE FOR GAY WEDDG: 'I DON'T DISCRIMATE'

CAN AN INDIANA BAKER LEGALLY REFE TO MAKE A WEDDG KE FOR A GAY UPLE?

| (Photo:)An Indiana bakery, 111 Cakery, that drew protts last year after the bs' Christian owners cled a requt om a gay man to make a ke for his same-sex weddg, has cid to close shop for good.

CHRISTIAN-OWNED INDIANA BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE CAKE FOR GAY MAN'S WEDDG CLOS SHOP

We scerely wish them the bt, " the statement rejectn by the uple snowballed to a ntroversial talkg pot lol and natnal media after that statement, which attracted much support om nservativ as well as tractors, particularly sce the bakery was loted a neighborhood Indianapolis that had been nsired a hub of gay culture for s, acrdg to USA uple who attend a Baptist church said they were aware of the neighborhood's gay culture when they opened the bakery 2012, but "jt didn't want to be party to a mment ceremony" bee such an event reflected "a mment to s. I was able to speak to many homosexuals the muny and to speak our opn and have a civil nversatn.

Supreme Court led favor of a Colorado baker who cled to make a weddg ke for a gay don't feel like a w to, the urt led fense of relig liberty and eedom of nscience, and those are prcipl I eply value.

Penn Jillette: No one's forcg you to have gay sex.

SWARENS: HERE'S WHY WE ALL LOST SUPREME COURT GAY WEDDG KE SE

He says that people have a right to be stupid, but what's so wrong wh sellg ke to gay people? People want the right to not serve people bee their well-tablished lovg relign mands that to get to heaven they not make ke for people who are gay. I was listeng to some whack job (I should say some other whack job, bee I was on the same TV panel) talk about how some Christians might not thk gay sex was right and need the legal right to act on that belief.

“Once aga ernment is g ercive force to csh and silence persons who disagree wh s prsg agenda of the day, ” the groups wrote their the Colorado se, a baker refed to create a weddg ke for a gay uple.

PENN JILLETTE: IN INDIANA, LET THEM EAT GAY WEDDG KE

Supreme Court will hear relig liberty challenge to gay weddgsRelig liberty vs.

Civil rights: A balancg actCi' appeal nied RFRA 'fix' seThe Indiana groups’ 2015 challenge to state and lol laws is pendg Haton County Superr su is an effort to brg back the origal Relig Freedom Rtoratn Act whout the “fix” add by lawmakers that prevents the law om beg ed to discrimate agast lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Hoosiers.

HOW THE GAY WEDDG KE SE COLORADO MAY AFFECT LGBT RIGHTS INDIANA

”Attorneys for the gay uple refed servic by the Colorado baker argue the baker has no First Amendment protectn bee the state’s anti-discrimatn regulat behavr, not speech.

INDIANAPOLIS — A bakery that drew protts for refg to prepare a ke for a gay uple has closed s 111 Cakery was still profable, said -owner Randy McGath. The flap led to a sgle picketer urgg a bakery boytt, but many nearby rints were on his bakery was at the tersectn of 16th and Talbott streets, a hub of gay culture for s. At least three long-tablished gay bars are jt blocks away.

OWNERS WHO REFED KE FOR GAY UPLE CLOSE SHOP

But McGath sisted sal never dipped below their pre-flap said he and his wife, who attend a Baptist church, were well aware of the neighborhood's gay culture when they opened their bakery there 2012. They served the gay muny gladly for several years but "jt didn't want to be party to a mment ceremony" bee such an event reflected "a mment to s. Some people might dismiss the prcipl at stake the Masterpiece Cakhop se by argug that a gay uple n simply purchase their ke elsewhere.

If a pany n refe to sell weddg k to a gay uple on the basis of relig nvictns, n a rtrant also then refe to serve food to a divorcée or an unmarried uple wh a child?

GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE

GaylaCake is a lol bakery owned by Gayla Bell, who, wh her team, specializ ctom rated k an other homema sserts. Calls placed to a listed number for Memori Pizza owners Crystal and Kev O'Connor went rtrant the 2, 200-person town of Walkerton, about 20 southwt of South Bend, went om beg largely unknown to beg on the lips of people natnwi April 2015 as beme one of the first bs to publicly say would refe service to a gay weddg, a scenar opponents of the Relig Freedom Rtoratn Act law feared would an terview wh a South Bend televisn statn, Memori Pizza owners said they would refe to ter a weddg for a gay or lbian uple due to relig reasons, but they said they would not ny service based on sexual 's why I n’t ctom-sign k for same-sex weddgsMore:Supreme Court eply divid over gay weddg keThe backlash om the terview forced the bs to temporarily shut s doors, and police beefed up patrols around the one pot, the police asked the St.

"I don't know if we will reopen or if we n, " O'Connor told the the shop eventually reopened to a supportive crowd, and remaed bs until last 19 stat and the District of Columbia have laws that protect people om discrimatn public acmodatns based on sexual orientatn and genr inty, acrdg to a report om the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), a thk tank that rearch and analyz state and feral laws wh LGBT Supreme Court is expected to issue a lg sometime this year on a landmark se volvg a Colorado baker's refal to sign a weddg ke for a same-sex uple, the latt tt the ntug legal battle between gay rights and relig Jt L.

Much of the brouhaha began when a bakery way out Oregon, actg on the relig beliefs of s owner, refed to make a weddg ke for a gay uple.

GEE TAKEIUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 11:06AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 02, 2015 1:19PM EDT STEVEN BRAHMS/THE NEW YORK TIM, VIA RXTHERE’S BEEN A LOT OF SOUL-SEARCHG LATELY ABOUT THE MYRIAD “RELIG FREEDOM” (RFRA) LAWS THAT HAVE BEGUN POPPG UP AROUND THE UNTRY PLAC LIKE ARIZONA, MISSISSIPPI, MICHIGAN, GEIA, ARKANSAS, AND, MOST FAMOLY, INDIANA. MUCH OF THE BROUHAHA BEGAN WHEN A BAKERY WAY OUT OREGON, ACTG ON THE RELIG BELIEFS OF S OWNER, REFED TO MAKE A WEDDG KE FOR A GAY UPLE. TH WERE BORN THE GREAT KE BAT.OF URSE, THE ISSUE NS MUCH EPER THAN THAT. THE KE IS REALLY JT THAT, A KE—BUT IF YOU BELIEVE THE RHETORIC OF THE RIGHT, WE GAY PEOPLE ARE TRYG TO HAVE OUR MARRIAG AND EAT OUR K, TOO.SUPPORTERS OF THE RFRA LAWS MONLY POT OUT THAT A FERAL VERSN OF THE LAW HAS BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A LONG TIME—SCE 1993 FACT—AND WAS SIGNED BY PRINT CLTON. THEY ARGUE THAT THERE ULD BE NOTHG WRONG WH FURTHER PROTECTG THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF CIZENS TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY WANT TO BELIEVE, TO ASSOCIATE WH WHOM THEY WANT TO ASSOCIATE, AND TO BAKE FOR WHOMEVER THEY WANT TO BAKE. AND WHAT IS MORE, THE ARGUMENT GO, REQUIRG A CHRISTIAN BAKER TO MAKE A KE FOR A GAY UPLE IS NO BETTER THAN REQUIRG A JEWISH ONE TO BAKE A SWASTIKA KE FOR A NEO-NAZI UPLE.CRICS OF SUCH LAWS, AND I AM ONE OF THEM, UNTER THAT STAT ARE RURRECTG THEM A CYNIL RPONSE TO MARRIAGE-EQUALY CISNS G OUT OF FERAL URTS. THE LAWS WERE ORIGALLY ENACTED TO PROTECT CERTA INDIAN TRIBAL R OM ERNMENT TSN. THEY WERE NEVER TEND TO EXTEND THE PERSONAL RIGHTS OF CIZENS SO FAR AS TO POTENTIALLY IMPGE UPON THE PUBLIC ACMODATN RIGHTS OF OTHERS. TH TWISTED, THE RFRA TRANSFORMS TO A LICENSE TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PERSONS. THAT IS WHY NTEXT—THE REASON THE LAWS WERE DRAFTED TODAY—MATTERS A GREAT AL, AND WHY SO MANY STAND OPPOSED TO THEIR ENACTMENT. SO THEN, WHAT IS REALLY GOG ON BENEATH THE POLICS AND THE LEGAL MANVERG? WHY WOULD A STATE LIKE INDIANA WANT TO ARM S CIZENS WH THE POWER TO DISCRIMATE, TO REFE TO MAKE THAT KE, PECIALLY AFTER FERAL LAW HELD THAT LGBT UPL’ VOWS ARE EQUALLY WORTHY OF RPECT AND PROTECTN? AND WHY DO THAT NOTN S SO BADLY WH SO MANY THAT WE ARE OUT LLG FOR BOYTTS OF AN ENTIRE STATE?PERHAPS IS MY NEARLY 80 YEARS OF PERSPECTIVE, BUT I NNOT HELP BUT THK WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE ON A MORE SER AND ADLY LEVEL—DOWN THE SOUTH, WHEN AIN AMERINS FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE. MANY STATE ERNMENT THERE DID NOT LIKE THE TREND TOWARD GREATER PARTICIPATN BY MORI ELECTNS, AND SO EVEN THOUGH THE 15TH AMENDMENT GUARANTEED THE RIGHT TO VOTE, THEY PUT MEASUR PLACE TO UNRCUT THAT RIGHT; POLL TAX, LERACY TTS, AND THE NSTANT THREAT OF VLENCE KEPT BLACK VOTERS AWAY ON ELECTN DAY. EVEN AFTER THE VOTG RIGHTS ACT ENACTED 1965, S ENFORCEMENT WAS WEAK. STAT DID NOT LIKE WHAT THE POLICIANS AND JUDG WASHGTON HAD CID, SO THEY CID NOT TO PLAY ALONG. INSTEAD, THEY DID WHAT THEY ULD TO MAKE PAFUL FOR ANYONE TO ENJOY THE US OF A CIVIL-RIGHTS VICTORY. THE LAW MAY HAVE SAID “EQUAL,” BUT THE STAT STILL WANTED “SEPARATE.”TODAY, PROPONENTS OF THE RFRA WANT TO SEND A SIAR MSAGE: “FERAL LAW MAY SAY YOUR MARRIAG ARE EQUAL, BUT THE GOOD, P PEOPLE OF THIS STATE THK OTHERWISE, AND SO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEND SO MUCH AS A FGER FOR YOU.” ESPECIALLY SMALL TOWNS ACROSS THE UNTRY, THAT MSAGE SOMETIM TRANSLAT TO ONE OF OPEN HOSTILY: GO AHEAD AND HAVE YOUR GAY MARRIAGE; YOU MAY NOT FD ANYONE HERE WILLG TO HELP YOU WH .IN MANY WAYS, THEN, MORN DAY RFRA TLY ARE “SORE LOSER” LAWS SIGNED TO MAKE AS HOLLOW AS POSSIBLE THE US OF MARRIAGE EQUALY. THAT THE STATE WOULD SANCTN THIS TYPE OF LAW, WHICH EFFECTIVELY GIV SHOPKEEPERS AND PROPRIETORS THE RIGHT TO TURN-OUT-THE-GAYS, FEEDS TO A GENERAL UNWELG ATMOSPHERE WHERE LGBTS NNOT FEEL ACCEPTED OR AT PEACE, PRECISELY BEE THEY NEVER KNOW WHEN OR OM WHOM THE NEXT DIGNY WILL E.WH REGARD TO THE DREAD AND MUCH-TOUTED SWASTIKA KE, SIMPLY IS A FALSE ANALOGY. COMPARG LGBTS TO NAZIS, FASHNABLE AS IS, MISS SEVERAL CCIAL DISTCTNS. THERE SIMPLY IS NO LONG AND PERNIC HISTORY OF NAZIS NOT BEG ALLOWED TO MARRY EACH OTHER. THERE ARE NOT LNS OF NAZI UPL AFFECTED BY THE VIEWS AND VOT OF NON-NAZIS. ON THE OTHER HAND, LGBT UPL HAVE UNTIL RECENTLY OFTEN BEEN TOLD BY LARGELY STRAIGHT LEARS ELECTED BY LARGELY STRAIGHT VOTERS THAT OUR RELATNSHIPS ARE LS VALUABLE AND NOT WORTHY OF PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE AND LEGAL REGNN. THAT IS WHY ANTI-DISCRIMATN LAWS, PASSED PLAC OTHER THAN INDIANA, ARE AT PAS TO INTIFY DISCRETE GROUPS TRADNALLY MARGALIZED OR MISTREATED BY THE MAJORY. IT IS ALSO WHY THE LAW DRAWS DISTCTNS BETWEEN THOSE WH GENERALLY IMMUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS SEXUAL ORIENTATN, VERS THOSE WH PERSONAL BELIEFS SUCH AS NAZISM, HOWEVER REPUGNANT.NO ONE IS SAYG A JEWISH SHOPKEEPER SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE A SWASTIKA KE FOR A NAZI UPLE, NOR SHOULD THEY HAVE TO MAKE A KE WH AN OBSCENY ON IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO. RATHER, WE ARE SAYG THAT THE ERA OF EXPANDG EQUALY FOR LGBTS, THE LAW HAS FALLY ACCEPTED LNS OF OUR RELATNSHIPS AS EQUAL S EY. A BAKERY HELD OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A GAY UPLE’S REQUT IS AS GOOD AS A STRAIGHT ONE’S, AND MT ACT ACRDGLY. AFTER ALL, ONE OF THE FOREEABLE NSEQUENC OF PERMTG SAME-SEX MARRIAG IS SAME-SEX WEDDG K. AND NTRARY TO MYTH, WE WILL NOT GENERALLY MAKE AND RATE OUR OWN K. IN FACT, WE HAVE E VERY FAR OURSELV, ENTSTG MANY STRAIGHT BAKERS WH THIS LITE MISSN.SO IF YOU ARE A BAKER WH YOUR DOOR OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, YOU MAY NOT EXEMPT YOURSELF OM BAKG FOR SOME KDS OF UPL SIMPLY BEE OF YOUR PERSONAL RELIG BELIEFS, OR BEE YOU WANT TO MAKE GAY PEOPLE FEEL LOY ON THEIR WEDDG DAY. YOU MAY NOT DO THIS, JT AS YOU MAY NOT REFE TO MAKE A KE FOR AN TERRACIAL UPLE, EVEN IF YOU BELIEVE ’S AGAST GOD’S WILL THAT THE RAC TERMARRY, AND EVEN IF THIS BELIEF IS SCERE. YOU DO NOT GET TO ELEVATE YOUR BELIEFS SO HIGH AS TO ANOTHER PERSON’S EXPERIENCE AND PARTICIPATN SOCIETY. INSTEAD, YOUR OPERATN IS PART OF THE SOCIAL NTRACT WE ALL IMPLICLY SIGNED ON TO AS PART OF THIS CIVIL SOCIETY.IT IS THIS VERY SOCIAL NTRACT THAT WE HAD MD WHEN LLG FOR BOYTTS OF STAT PASSG OR NSIRG RFRA TODAY. THE INDIANA BOYTT, WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE SUCCSFULLY ED THE LEGISLATURE TO MOVE QUICKLY TO FANG , SENT A POWERFUL SIGNAL THAT WE WILL NOT BE JIM CROWED AGA, AND THAT STAT REFG TO ABI BY THE SPIR OF FERAL MARRIAGE REGNN WILL BE SHUNNED. THEY N CHOOSE TO THUMB THEIR NOS, AND CYNILLY TO EMPOWER THEIR CIZENS WH THE RIGHT TO BE UNCIVIL THE NAME OF THEIR BELIEFS, BUT THERE ARE, AND MT BE, NSEQUENC TO THAT. WEDDG K WILL BE MA FOR BOTH STRAIGHT AND GAY UPL, SEEMS, THE HOOSIER STATE.SO THERE IS, MY THOUGHTS ON THE GREAT KE BATE. DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON FLORISTS. GEE TAKEI

The ke is really jt that, a ke—but if you believe the rhetoric of the right, we gay people are tryg to have our marriag and eat our k, too. And what is more, the argument go, requirg a Christian baker to make a ke for a gay uple is no better than requirg a Jewish one to bake a swastika ke for a neo-Nazi uple.

” Especially small towns across the untry, that msage sometim translat to one of open hostily: Go ahead and have your gay marriage; you may not fd anyone here willg to help you wh many ways, then, morn day RFRA tly are “sore loser” laws signed to make as hollow as possible the us of marriage equaly. That the state would sanctn this type of law, which effectively giv shopkeepers and proprietors the right to turn-out-the-gays, feeds to a general unwelg atmosphere where LGBTs nnot feel accepted or at peace, precisely bee they never know when or om whom the next digny will regard to the dread and much-touted swastika ke, simply is a false analogy.

THIS EVANGELIST ASKED A GAY BAKERY TO MAKE A TRADNAL MARRIAGE KE. NOW HE MAY FACE CHARG.

A bakery held open to the public mt acknowledge that a gay uple’s requt is as good as a straight one’s, and mt act acrdgly.

In fact, we have e very far ourselv, entstg many straight bakers wh this lite if you are a baker wh your door open to the public, you may not exempt yourself om bakg for some kds of upl simply bee of your personal relig beliefs, or bee you want to make gay people feel loy on their weddg day. Weddg k will be ma for both straight and gay upl, seems, the Hoosier there is, my thoughts on the great ke bate. In the wake of heated natnal bate over whether bs owners should have the right to refe to participate same-sex “weddgs” that vlate their relig beliefs, Ferste, an ter evangelist, cid to see if pro-gay bs owners would give him the same ference as a Christian that homosexual activists are mandg Christian bs owners give to same-sex upl, even if they disagreed wh his worldview.

He ma a tape of himself llg Florida-based bakery “Cut the Cake” and askg them to make a ke rated wh the words, “We do not support gay marriage.

BAKER WHO REFED TO MAKE KE FOR GAY WEDDG: 'I DON'T DISCRIMATE'

” As Ferste expected, the bakery – which lls self LGBT-iendly and advertis same-sex “weddg” servic gay publitns – refed and hung up the phone.

“Cut the Cake[‘s owner]…ref to make an anti-gay ‘marriage’ ke, so obvly vlat her prcipl, and so she don’t feel like she should be forced to make the ke, ” Ferste said the vio. In December, blogger Theodore Shoebat rerd himself llg 13 “pro-gay” bakeri to ask if they would make a ke wh the words “Gay marriage is wrong.

Shoebat ntrasted his own experience wh that of a baker Ireland who suffered “tremendo loss to his bs” after ristg attempts by gay activists and the Irish state to force him to create a ke featurg the words “Support Gay Marriage. “Christian bakeri that refe to make pro-homosexual marriage k are gettg sued left, right, and center, ” Shoebat wrote a blog post explag the motivatn behd his vios, which he lled a “social experiment. This experiment prov beyond doubt that the gay agenda is not jt about their eedom to practice a sexual orientatn, but the supprsn of ee speech, ” he said.