As one of the LGBT, I’m fine with this. I want the ability to refuse work to the Religious and Republicans—and I have done so for decades. The difference is, I don’t tell them why. I just say I’m busy. Because even though I want them to burn in a fiery hell, I’m not an asshole.
While religion is a protected class, political orientation is not protected. It is perfectly legal (and moral) to ask someone if they are conservative before agreeing to do work for them.
You can even cite a policy to really drive it home: "I do not conduct business with racists, bigots, misogynists, homophobes, xenophobes, fascists or any other type of conservatives."
Cool but where do you draw the line? If a taxi driver refuses to drive you is it still fine? What if a teacher refuses to teach your children? Or if a doctor refuses to treat you?
I don't know what the person you're replying to does for work, but I feel like what their work is really makes a big difference. Teachers don't (or shouldn't) teach kids any differently based on orientation, political ideology, etc., other than perhaps excusing them from work that goes against their beliefs (for example celebrating a holiday they take objection to). The teacher isn't required to "go against their beliefs" and do something they disagree with, only to keep their mouth shut about any disagreements they may have with a student's lifestyle. A teacher should not be able to refuse to teach anyone because they are not being asked to do a special job catering to any particular student. If they disagree with the curriculum, I would guess they just shouldn't be a teacher then (as in, if you're a high school science teacher you may be required to teach evolution).
Similarly with a doctor, they should not be able to say "I refuse to treat you because you're gay/religious/political." Everyone gets the same medical care. The only exception I can think of is transgender medical care, but if they don't want to do that they can just not go into that field.
Anything that involves creating is a little different. A wedding photographer would be more actively participating in a gay wedding. Or a Christian wedding, etc. If they feel really uncomfortable with that, they shouldn't have to. That doesn't change my opinion that they're closed-minded and bigoted, and it doesn't mean people can't leave them bad reviews stating as much. Plus, these services are not basic rights, whereas healthcare and education are basic rights.
There's been lots of recent stories of teachers refusing the call kids by their preferred pronouns, for one. But also, I think you're trying to be more rational than these conservatives are. They don't need there to be a difference in how they work with someone to refuse to do it. Some will literally claim it's against their religion to be involved with an LGBT person at all.
Stuff like education is an obvious basic right, yeah, but there's so much fuzziness. Should the only store in walking distance be able to refuse to serve you? Especially in small towns where there might only be a single business providing a service, they can easily make the area effectively an unlivable area for whichever group is the current focus of conservatives.
Plus there's the good ol' paradox of intolerance. By just allowing people to discriminate, it spreads. When it's acceptable for one business to discriminate, it's more likely others are going to adopt the same stance. More people will be taught their intolerance. It's basically a social illness. Much like a real illness, that needs to be isolated and prevented from spreading.
Ok, so let's hope that the supreme court agrees with you and draws the line at taxi drivers. Because today they let photographers discriminate you and tomorrow they can decide that the rules for doctors are unconstitutional.
I understand your fear. But my opinion isn’t going to impact that crooked group. It’s not like I voted for them. Whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen regardless of what you or I do. We’re all fucked. I may as well be allowed to legally discriminate against the people who can legally discriminate against me. 🤷♂️
So where you live doctors just let people suffer/die if they don't like them and it's ok? You don't have any oversight, expert panels, ethics boards, investigations? That's wild.
You don't think there's a range between doing the bare minimum and giving your best? I don't say they let you die, or send you away. I said I wouldn't be sure they treat me with the same effort they treat someone they like (or at least don't dislike).
I think you watch to much TV. That's not how medicine works. How do you imagine it? I go to a doctor with migraine and he starts thinking real hard what could be the cause? And if he 'despises' me he just doesn't think as hard?
There are procedures doctors have to follow. If they fail to follow the procedures it's malpractice. The procedures are the same for all doctors. There's no 'look, I did the bare minimum, you can't punish me'. Either you did what was required or you didn't. Each time a doctor would mistreat someone on purpose because he 'despises' them they would open themselves for investigation and a court case. That doesn't mean there are no shitty doctor making mistakes, they would just have to be really dumb to do it in purpose.
Doctors are just humans. If they have a good day (hopefully often), they go out of their way to help you. I had a doctor call me on his personal time because he cared, and looked into literature to figure something weird out. But I also was there when he had a bad day (he was sick himself and a shit ton of patients to go through) so he just gave me a sick note, quick checkup and let me go. Doctors aren't machines who work in an objective and reproducible way.
You're talking about a basic GP visit. The standard/expected practice is to prescribe 'best guess' medication and see if it improves. As you said you can get the equally bad treatment from a tired/sick doctor as from one who 'despises' you. It's just a common risk everyone accepts so you're comments about not wanting doctors who despise you treating you makes little sense. You can tell the doctor isn't very good and go to another one.
Where it could be important is a hospital visit and there are procedures to follow there. Doctor can't just give you a sick note and send you home. If he does that's malpractice.
I think it depends if you are a contractor or an employee. A contractor like a cab driver or photographer sure they can refuse clients, but a teacher and Dr are both employees of a school district and insurance company who have a public image to uphold.
I can tell you one thing: wedding photography is not where to draw the line.
Edit: come to think of it, you're right, though. Businesses should serve all people, especially protected classes. Don't want to deal with it? Don't start a business.
Probably the teacher. I'd support law brought in that public service jobs i.e. medicine, education, government etc must serve all but surely that's already law in the sense of discrimination?
But people offering a taxi ride, photography etc? They can tell you to fuck off for the simple reason of not liking your voice on the phone or the look of your face. Why does the world insist on this delusion of forced love and happiness? And it's ironic as they are upset they can't have access to X so want to upset the person providing X and force them to provide it to people they don't want to?
Insanity.
The world is a mean place, always has been, always will be.
Do you think it's a good world if someone, say, can't use the nearest small grocery store or has a 50/50 chance that any given taxi will refuse to serve them, leaving them stranded for longer and regularly late as a result? All because maybe they look gay or trans or Muslim or whatever the right wing media is currently drumming up fear towards?
Your comment is about the perspective of the person providing the service, but what about the people being affected by the discrimination (who are often more vulnerable in the first place)? Do you not care about their experience? Their ability to experience the same quality of life as everyone else?
And sure, the world is a mean place, but why defend that? Why not try to make it at least a little bit better?
I guess if it's contract work. In a teacher's case all the kids pay for his service combined and he workdls for the school not the kids directly, I guess. And a taxi driver can refuse to drive you, and some of them have to people who act racists towards them or act like karens in a few videos I've seen.
It's a bit stunning how many people just don't get this. The laws say you can't discriminate people based on their race, religion or sexuality for a reason. If you accept this behaviour you basically saying that discrimination is fine and legal. This means corporation can stop hiring LGBT people, businesses can stop serving them, private school can reject their kids. Legally it's the same. This is not about one guy rejecting a customer. He could just say that he's busy, no one will force him to work. This is about him saying that this is specifically because of their sexuality and and the courts trying to legalize discrimination. And some people claim that this entire case was made up on purpose: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/09/24/alliance-defending-freedom-wedding-lawsuit/
The fact that people don't understand how this works is just stunning.
I don’t see a point in making people angry. I just don’t want to be around them or talk to them or help them make money 🤷♂️ I’m sorry my take on hating people who hate me disturbs you. Maybe stop hating lol