Here’s an observation:
Civil Rights laws were passed to remedy the real harm that was done to blacks owing to discrimination against them. (See my older post on the topic.)
Persecuting a pizzeria that said, when asked by an industrious reporter, that hypothetically, they wouldn’t cater to a gay wedding — that’s not about remedying discrimination. What’s more, in no case that I’m aware of, when a gay or lesbian couple looking for a venue, a photographer, a baker, a florist, etc., for a wedding or commitment ceremony, has learned that their first choice turned them down, or one of their short list from whom they hoped to obtain quotes, in any case, or a provider that they called for “testing” purposes — in no such case did they experience real, tangible harm. There is no gay and lesbian version of the Green Book. For that matter, given the creative nature of the wedding-provider occupations, I would imagine that disproportionately-many of them are not only A-OK with gay marriage, but positively enthusiastic about it.
Instead, the harm that they describe is that of hurt feelings.
It’s even clearer that the backlash against Memories Pizza is not about harm they have caused anyone, but about people upset at the very idea that someone could entertain the thoughts they have.
So what’s going on?
Actual harm is irrelevant. It’s about the use of the law not to provide equal rights but to enforce a moral code.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In