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I'm pretty sure taxis aren't considered public businesses, since the drivers are basically private contractors who purchase annual permits to carry passengers. And don't they usually own the cars they drive? As for the truck driver in your example, he or she would likely be fired for refusing to drive a truckload their company had on order.
So not only does it matter if the business is deemed private or public, but it also matters what the state laws determine are protected classes. In some states sexual orientation (gay or straight) is a protected class, and in some states political beliefs are too... but I don't think personal non-religious beliefs are covered under these laws, which is where some of these situations would fall. Therefore your examples are highly subjective, state-dependent, and not entirely related to the topic of this thread.
You guys do realize the laws aren't all so "black and white," and that many gray areas exist - and that not all laws apply to every situation in the same way? I'm not a lawyer, mind you, but do understand this much.
The issue isn't a public/private business one. Whether a company is privately held or publicly traded doesn't matter. If a business makes its goods or services available to the public for consumption, then it's a place of public accommodation beholden to anti-discrimination laws. Taxis most certainly fall under that.
A non public accommodation business not beholden to anti-discrimination laws would be something like an invitation only country club.
The issue isn't a public/private business one. Whether a company is privately held or publicly traded doesn't matter. If a business makes its goods or services available to the public for consumption, then it's a place of public accommodation beholden to anti-discrimination laws. Taxis most certainly fall under that.
A non public accommodation business not beholden to anti-discrimination laws would be something like an invitation only country club.
Yeah, those laws are a bit confusing! I think taxis just get away with discrimination more easily, since they don't have anyone watching their every move - and if they don't want to pick up a particular passenger, they can just pretend not to see them or turn on the "occupied" light.
I'll never forget when I hailed a cab in NYC once, and the driver said "I can take you there, but we'll have to stop when the sun goes down (it was almost time) so I can get food." It was Ramadan, and he was too hungry to wait until after my crosstown trip. Would a restaurant waiter get away with that? I said that was fine, btw, as long as he turned off the meter during his food stop.
For example, true Christians believe in forgiveness. Even if someone murdered a close relative (a brother/sister/father/mother/son/daughter) they forgive the murderer. They have even said on TV when being interviewed.
I know a few people I'd consider true Christians, and not once have I heard them say anything hateful or discriminatory towards gay people - nor have I heard them use that tired old saying "hate the sin, love the sinner." They know that's a crock, and that it isn't their place to even determine who is a sinner... and if they owned a business, I'm sure they would provide equal services to gay people too. Matter of fact, one of them has a gay daughter she loves unconditionally as-is.
So no, a TRUE Christian doesn't hate. But I'm not sure what your point is, since the people we're discussing (business owners who discriminate) are showing hate. How is it not hateful to deny equal services to someone, when they haven't even done anything to hurt you?
What happened to the days when going to the bathroom and other bodily acts was private....sex is supposed to be private...we are all oriented differently sexually. There are a million variations of how we perceive sex personally. Why has this certain orientation become so not worthy......This business of sexual orientation is becoming tiresome. Maybe ALL of us should practice some old fashioned privacy again.
I hope someone starts to sue your businesses, give you a taste of your own medicine!
Only difference is that you guys refuse ALL services completey out of hate and intolerance toward others beliefs, where as the Religious owned businesses refused only specific services out of respect for their deeply held religious values.
Complete Nonsense. The Colorado baker accepted an order for a cake for a DOG WEDDING as well as a divorce party and a pagan celebration.
Where were his so-called 'deeply held religious values'? then?
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Originally Posted by West Coast Republican
None of them were homophobic or hated gays at all.
BS. The Colorado baker also said a gay wedding was like a "celebration of pedophilia".
I know a few people I'd consider true Christians, and not once have I heard them say anything hateful or discriminatory towards gay people - nor have I heard them use that tired old saying "hate the sin, love the sinner." They know that's a crock, and that it isn't their place to even determine who is a sinner... and if they owned a business, I'm sure they would provide equal services to gay people too. Matter of fact, one of them has a gay daughter she loves unconditionally as-is.
Yes, they don't determine who is a sinner. But they can repeat and pass along the word of God. And we know what God says about homosexuals.
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So no, a TRUE Christian doesn't hate. But I'm not sure what your point is, since the people we're discussing (business owners who discriminate) are showing hate. How is it not hateful to deny equal services to someone, when they haven't even done anything to hurt you?
My point is that disagreeing and/or not approving of homosexuality does not equal "hate." This "equal service" claim is being way overused. If a customer is rude to the staff at a restaurant, should he still have "equal services?" Or does the owner have a right to kick him out? And what about bouncers at nightclubs? They frequently throw out unruly patrons. Do the bouncers "hate" them? Where is their "equal service?"
I hope someone starts to sue your businesses, give you a taste of your own medicine!
Only difference is that you guys refuse ALL services completey out of hate and intolerance toward others beliefs, where as the Religious owned businesses refused only specific services out of respect for their deeply held religious values. None of them were homophobic or hated gays at all.
These kinds of things don't help your cause for the record. It does the exact opposite, it just makes you look like bullies.
The bolded is a perfect description of the gay army.
It's not hypocrisy. Discrimination based on speech is DIFFERENT than discrimination based on an immutable characteristic.
Just for the record, I looked up Discrimination in the dictionary, and it doesn't list a differing meaning for the word whether it's associated with speech, or with characteristics.
The bottom line is, 1 person discriminated against another due to religious reasons, another, because of something someone said. It's discrimination either way.
Jack Phillips is a baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because his Christian belief is that marriage exists only between a man and woman.
The fact that you believe that one is ok, and another is not, is a decision I disagree with. If the baker HAS to accept and serve a customer who's views are different, (And yes, they refused to bake the cake because they felt that it was wrong for a same sex couple to marry, NOT because the couple was gay), then the Hair Dresser should not be allowed to discriminate because of a politician's beliefs.
The bottom line is, it's discrimination either way, and it's wrong.
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