Image: courtesy, Ann Telnaes.
Columnists
Freedom To Discriminate?
FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY
I confess to an incomplete grasp of all the subtleties regarding these new ‘religious freedom’ laws versus anti-discrimination concerns in the United States.
I do suspect, however, that these so-called ‘freedom of religion’ laws are a reaction to gay marriage – it's as simple as that.
Conservative Christian groups want to avoid any involvement in gay marriage ceremonies. One famous example in Indiana is that of a pizza place that claims it would never cater a gay wedding. But I may be guilty of over-generalizing and stereotyping when I say that most gay people are too sophisticated to have their wedding reception catered by a pizza establishment.
I also find it interesting how many Christian fundamentalists suddenly cite their concern for Muslim women in hijabs and Sikh men in turbans in their advocacy for these new laws. This is certainly a new role for these Christian fundamentalists.
Resistance to these new laws came not only from gay people, but from businesses, sports organizations, and celebrities. Thus, in many cases, these offensive laws have been compelled to be modified.
What I find both offensive and amusing at the same time is the hypocrisy.
So many of these Christian fundamentalist florists, photographers, and caterers who would refuse to accommodate a gay wedding, admit that they would have no trouble making money doing some sort of ceremony for a person or persons they knew to be adulterers!
I have major trouble with their selectivity in terms of the sins that outrage them.
I gather that in most states, you can be legally married to your gay partner on the weekend and get fired by your employer for doing so the following Monday.
I have no definitive answers to these issues regarding the line between this new brand of ‘religious freedom’ and discrimination, but I do believe there is a slippery slope.
For example, could pro-life pharmacists refuse to dispense abortion drugs? If he or she is fired, could they use a ‘freedom of religion’ law to sue their employer for violating their First Amendment rights?
April 10, 2015