07 February 2019

Different POVs: Creative Religious Freedom & Discrimination

Time to weigh-in again: The Time is Now
Whether it’s a case about wedding invitations in Arizona, a gender transition cake in Colorado, or a similar case somewhere else, all the parties involved believe that eventually the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue once again.
“Your best solution is to get involved and change the law, . . "

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Here in Mesa, Mayor John Giles has made sure the adoption of a City Non-Discrimination Ordinance has effectively been side-lined as a non-issue. He's waiting for the AZ State House to take action, while the other two biggest cities in the state have adopted a Non-Discrimination Ordinance . . . What's he afraid of?
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Here's a piece [with audio] from http://kjzz.org that just ask more questions.
It does not mention guaranteeing equal rights in public accommodations that are protected by the force-of-law . . .Both challengers - one who makes wedding cakes in Colorado and one in Arizona wedding invitations - claim "“it’s wrong for the state to force me to create artistic products, . .  . Both are Christians who admit
"As Christians, our faith guides everything we do" 
Free Speech Or Discrimination? A View From Arizona, Colorado
By Will Stone
Allison Sherry, Colorado Public Radio
Published: Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 11:12am
Updated: Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 12:58pm 
 "A central question related to LGBTQ rights may again be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court: Can businesses turn away customers because they object to what they’re asking for — weddings invitations or a cake?
Across the country, lawsuits are seeking to clarify when a business owner’s freedom of speech outweighs legal protections against discrimination. . ."
Here is how the Colorado and Arizona cases are similar: they are pitting First Amendment protections of religious freedom and freedom of speech against a state or city’s anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people.
In Colorado the state's new Democratic attorney general Phil Weiser is defending the law in the latest suit.
In Arizona the case has divided powerful forces in Arizona: the state’s attorney general and Republican leadership are siding with the business and major companies challenging the city of Phoenix.
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The same influential Christian group is challenging nondiscrimination protections in both states. The Alliance for Defending Freedom has been tremendously successful nationally with similar cases, logging nine Supreme Court wins in seven years.
They argue these business owners are not discriminating; they just can’t be forced to convey a certain message.