Starbuck the dog (maybe with some help from his owner BGK) has a good overview of the marriage equality debate shaping up. Go read the whole thing.
While I was there, this particular argument from the anti-side struck me as pretty disingenuous.
While the bill has been amended to provide narrow exemptions for religious organizations that do not choose to be involved in same-sex ceremonies, it contains nothing to provide the same protections for private businesses that refuse service for these ceremonies on the grounds of religious conscience. That invites massive new lawsuits against photographers, bakers and decorators, tuxedo and wedding dress stores, hotels, caterers and others involved in the wedding industry.
I want to be clear here: It should be illegal to discriminate in business in Washington, including in the wedding industry.* Discrimination is wrong, and it doesn’t make sense to carve out this piece from our anti-discrimination laws.
But even if that’s your problem, it seems like this referendum is a pretty poor way of going about solving it. I mean these groups have shown they can gather signatures en masse. If that’s the concern, why not let the marriage equality law pass and get their particular exception to our anti-discrimination laws on the ballot?
* I’m using “industry” since it was in the piece, but it seems pretty grandiose.
” … private businesses that refuse service … on the grounds of religious conscience”
If businesses can refuse service, customers should be able to refuse patronage. All Republicans should have a red “R” branded on their foreheads so we won’t inadvertently patronize a business against our consciences. Just kidding, heh, a Hester Prynne parody!
I still don’t understand how a gay marriage in Boston undermines a heterosexual marriage in Seattle. Could someone please explain that to me?
Bigots are bigots. Stupid is as stupid does. Makes me glad that I disavowed organized religion.
There are positive uplifting “God is Love” churches if you want religion in your life. They don’t make headlines. They are not all assholes and bigots.
Snark from facebook
Those people who are against gay marriage and say, “In Genesis it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” are so ignorant…
Everyone knows that in Genesis it was Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford.
I had one boss whose philosophy was that the only color that counted was green and another whose philosophy was that he did not have to provide service to anyone he didn’t want to provide service to. His line in the sand was abusive customers aka f###ing assholes…some of you might remember Pete from Fremont BP.
Let the wedding folks discriminate if they want but require them to state upfront in their advertising their preference in clientele….” Traditional Marriage Only, Please” or ” We Are an Inclusive Business”.