Missing In Mesa: NDO to Enforce LGBTQ Civil Rights

Why Arizona is a battleground over LGBT rights and religious freedom as Trump, Apple line up in Supreme Court case
By Mike Sunnucks  –  Senior Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal            
8 hours ago
Christian calligraphy business owners promise to appeal the latest decision from a Maricopa Superior Court judge over Phoenix's LGBT protections.Source: ooops! It's behind a Pay-Wall
https://www.bizjournals.com

Arizona Judge Protects LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Ordinance in PhoenixBy Adam Polaski • October 27, 2017 • 10:41 am         
A judge in Arizona has ruled this week that a business owner’s religious beliefs do not entitle them to a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people. The decision from a Maricopa County Superior Court judge found that a retail store that sells wedding invitations and other wedding-related stationary and objections cannot be exempt from the city of Phoenix’s non-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other classes.

Notably, the business was seeking an exemption from the ordinance, which has been in place for several years now, despite never having been approached by an LGBTQ person seeking their services, an obvious attempt to undercut an ordinance that protects people from unequal treatment.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a member of Freedom for All Americans’ Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination coalition, said this week:

“Today was a victory for civil rights and when there’s a victory for civil rights, it’s not just a victory for the LGBT community, it’s a victory for everyone.”

Congratulations to Mayor Stanton, the people of Phoenix, and our partners at One Community AZ, who worked to support the case.
The decision comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, scheduled for December 5. The case concerns a baker who refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple. It tackles a similar question: Can a business be exempt from an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination law?

Judges have almost never found it persuasive when businesses have sought to exempt themselves from local or state non-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people. 
Blogger's Note:
Even though Mormons are now a minority in this city of over 475,000 persons, tenets of their LDS religion still impact public policy and decision-making on many levels.
It's not like recent moves by the Mormon church who operate 70% of the chapters of The Boy Scouts of America, to withdraw all their scouts from the national organization when anti-discrimination laws were imposed.
Mormons could, however, choose NOT to get involved in government if they prefer to follow their religion instead of the law.
Click here to see a list of six other cases in recent history where courts have ruled against religious refusal policies or efforts.