Mennonite couple files counter-lawsuit against Iowa to avoid gay marriage hosting

[WilderPegasus]

Originally Posted by photon

Can they deny serving black people because if they say it's against their religious beliefs?

Which religion states that you cannot serve black people?

[DuffMan]

Could a gay business stop dealing with Mennonites?

[photon]

Originally Posted by WilderPegasus

Which religion states that you cannot serve black people?

Why do you answer a question with a question?

[photon]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Could a gay business stop dealing with Mennonites?

No.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Could a gay business stop dealing with Mennonites?

Is there a gay Ford dealership that specializes in 18-passenger vans.

Oh wait, that's Hutterite. I guess -ites all look the same to me

[jammies]

Originally Posted by photon

Why do you answer a question with a question?

I see what you did here.

[Rerun]

Took me 10 minutes to find this on the internet..

Does a business in the US have a right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason? .......


Businesses can refuse service for almost any reason (or no reason) with exceptions. Those exceptions at the federal level are race, religion, gender, national origin, and disability/perceived disability (refusing service based on sexual preference does not violate any federal law).

Some states have laws covering all these categories plus sexual preference, and some also include transgendered persons and transsexuals..

There is a narrow exception allowing legalized discrimination when the business has a bona fide business-related reason, such as when a fitness center chain targets only women on the theory some women would only be comfortable working out when there are no men present and the exercise equipment they provide is specifically targeted at women. Similarly, when an organization's main purpose is to prevent teen pregnancy and unmarried pregnancy, and then an unmarried employee/teacher gets pregnant, she can be fired even though normally firing a woman for being pregnant is illegal discrimination based on gender.

As for churches being forced to marry gays, like that one post claimed and several people gave thumbs up, this is a commonly repeated claim by some groups, despite the fact it has absolutely no legal basis and would violate the First Amendment. While it is true that the right to marriage is fundamental, that does not mean that churches must go against their beliefs and marry anyone who wants a marriage; it has never been that way and it never will be. Churches always have had the right to refuse to marry people. For example, the Catholic Church has never been legally forced to marry someone who was previously divorced because that would go against Catholic beliefs. My mother is a pastor, and in her church no couple can marry until they have gone through pre-marital counseling; if the couple refuses to go through this counseling, she can refuse to marry them and no law could say otherwise. I have never heard a lawyer claim that churches would be forced to marry gay couples if gay marriage became legal, yet homophobes cling to this false belief and repeat it so many times that many people actually believe it is true.

For your question about whether or not caterers, florists, and wedding photographers would be legally allowed to refuse to work for gay weddings, the answer is: unless the federal discrimination laws are changed, they would not violate any federal law by refusing to accept those bookings solely because the couple was gay (although if a boss accepts the booking and an employee refused to work it, the boss could fire the employee in most circumstances).

However, because many state laws are different and most are more expansive than the federal law, there may or may not be a state law violation for that same refusal to accept the booking.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3074554AAJP6jF

[Rathji]

So if its not against federal law in the United States, its totally fine?

edit: For reference (from http://www.iowa.gov/government/crc/p..._brochure.html)

The "Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965" prohibits discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education. Discrimination, or different treatment, is illegal if based on race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, retaliation (because of filing a previous discrimination complaint, participating in an investigation of a discrimination complaint, or having opposed discriminatory conduct), age (in employment and credit), familial status (in housing and credit) or marital status (in credit).

[Rerun]

I think he covered exceptions or addendums to federal law in the second paragraph and the last sentence.

Some states have laws covering all these categories plus sexual preference, and some also include transgendered persons and transsexuals..

However, because many state laws are different and most are more expansive than the federal law, there may or may not be a state law violation for that same refusal to accept the booking.

[WilderPegasus]

Originally Posted by photon

Why do you answer a question with a question?

Because I'm not aware of any religion that prohibits serving black people and if there is I'd like to be aware of it.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by WilderPegasus

Because I'm not aware of any religion that prohibits serving black people and if there is I'd like to be aware of it.

I'm also not aware of any religion that prohibits serving gay people, and if there is I'd like to be aware of it.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by WilderPegasus

Because I'm not aware of any religion that prohibits serving black people and if there is I'd like to be aware of it.

You might be missing the forest for the trees.........

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by moon

If they are a private business that does not receive subsidies from the government they should be able to deny anyone for whatever reason they want religious or not.

[moon]

Originally Posted by photon

Not according to the law, since 1964 in the US.

Why do you think allowing whites only restaurants is a good idea?

Because I think if you are running a private business you should be able to run it as you like.

If you want only whites go ahead. I am sure the backlash from community would affect whether the business is a success or not. If there is a need for a business that caters to other folks then it will pop up to deal with them.

[NuclearPizzaMan]

Originally Posted by moon

Because I think if you are running a private business you should be able to run it as you like.

If you want only whites go ahead. I am sure the backlash from community would affect whether the business is a success or not. If there is a need for a business that caters to other folks then it will pop up to deal with them.

Ah yes, the "Libertarian Paradise" option. Let the free market solve the problem!

The reason these laws exist is because the free market wasn't solving the problem.

[photon]

Originally Posted by NuclearPizzaMan

Ah yes, the "Libertarian Paradise" option. Let the free market solve the problem!

The reason these laws exist is because the free market wasn't solving the problem.

But this time it will work for sure!

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by photon

Lol! I blame the picture, Fox clearly framed it that way because it looks like a church.

Well the sign does say it's an art and framing place.

[Chingas]

There are many businesses that get away with being discriminatory to certain sectors of the public. They do it by a members only system and use the membership process as a way to discourage and sometimes outright refuse new members if and when they see fit.