MRC.org:
Even though gay marriage advocates often say those
marriages won’t hurt others, business owners have been finding out that
isn’t true. Companies, especially wedding-related ones, from several
states have been sued and harassed for holding onto religious
convictions.
The concept of "gay rights" has trampled
religious liberty, but the network news media haven’t noticed. In fact,
when Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins was on CBS in June, Bob
Schieffer said he was “unaware” of such cases. In a year of coverage
about discrimination cases involving gays, there was only casual mention
of an attack on businesses out of 31 stories on the network news
broadcasts (Nov. 1, 2012 through Oct. 31, 2013). And that was a casual
comment about Chick-Fil-A. Even after additional searches for coverage
of specific lawsuits, the broadcast networks have said almost nothing in
recent years about the impact of gay rights and gay marriage on
businesses.
The situation for businesses and Christian
business owners could worsen if Congress passes the Employee
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The legislation "would outlaw workplace
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,"
according to The New York Times.
House Speaker John Boehner announced his opposition to the bill on Nov.
4, and the bill is not expected to be able to pass the House, according
to The Washington Post.
Several
states including New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois, Washington and Iowa each
have their own state’s “Human Rights Act” or “Civil Rights Act” which
prohibit discrimination by public businesses based on sexual
orientation.
In
2006, Elaine Huguenin, a Christian photographer in New Mexico, declined
a request to photograph a “commitment ceremony” and was subsequently
taken to court. She defended her religious rights but was ruled against
by the New Mexico Supreme Court in August 2013. She was ordered to pay
more than $6,000 in legal fees. In a concurring opinion on the case, one
justice even stated that having to violate your religious beliefs when
they conflict with social issues like gay marriage “is the price of citizenship.” The photographer and her attorneys are considering taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ACLU and the Colorado attorney general are suing the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Colorado bakery, according to The Blaze.
The owner is facing up to a year in jail time for refusing to bake a
gay couple a wedding cake in 2012. The ACLU echoed the sentiment of the
New Mexico court justice saying, “But someone's personal religious
beliefs don't justify breaking the law by discriminating against others
in the public sphere."
ABC News.com reported that a Washington florist was sued in April
by the state’s attorney general on behalf of a same-sex couple who were
declined flowers for their wedding ceremony. The couple who sued the
florist were regular customers of the florist for 10 years, but when the
florist was asked to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding, she told
CBN, that she “had to take a stand.”
The florist is now
counter-suing with the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom. The
Washington Attorney General stated, “As an individual, she is free to
hold religious beliefs but as a business owner, she may not violate our
state’s laws against discrimination — no matter what she personally
believes.”
Networks Barely Mention Harm to Businesses
ABC,
CBS and NBC news programs have barely addressed the stories of business
owners accused of anti-gay discrimination, or the ensuing harassment
and lawsuits.
Apart from a few local news stories, the
bulk of these reports have come from conservative and religious blogs
and far left and gay websites. The liberal websites predictably attacked
businesses for being “homophobic.” The Huffington Post even has “anti-gay companies list,” which includes chains like Chic-Fil-A, Domino’s Pizza, and Exxon but also charities like the Salvation Army.