-
Hard Questions about the LGBT Community and Our Vote
The LBGT community has asked hard questions of us in its struggle for acceptance: “Why do you care what we do in our own bedrooms?” So state courts struck down laws against sodomy. “Why can’t we have the civil right to marry whom we please?” In 2014 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. “Why should any employer be able to fire us because of our sexual orientation or gender identity?” In June 2020 the Supreme Court ruled they cannot. One of the cases litigated was that of a funeral home whose biological male employee transitioned to a woman. The court insists that the funeral home may not…
-
About Unruly Mobs, Targeting Curches and #boycottIndiana
As I watched #boycottIndiana unfold I felt like the tectonic plates of American culture were shifting right under our feet. When Governor Mike Pence signed Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, who knew that Miley Cyrus and Ashton Kushner could help unleash a torrent of criticism and threats that eventually brought the government of Indiana to its knees? In one week we saw suppression of dissent against gay marriage by an unruly mob, the targeting of churches and the spread of propaganda—a three-pronged strategy used widely by those aspiring to political power throughout history. Midweek an Indiana ABC affiliate news crew went trolling for any…
-
#boycottindiana and YOUR religious freedom: A lawyer who worked the Hobby Lobby case explains what’s really at stake
Suppose you are an Indian who runs a vegan café in Indiana. (You are Jainist and your faith opposes the taking of animal life.) And suppose a customer wants you to cater their wedding with your amazing vegan creations, but please, just put some chicken wings on the side for non-vegans. If you refuse this service should the offended customer (backed by the NRA, Ducks Unlimited and the force of government) see you have to shut down your café and lose your livelihood because of the heavy fines imposed? Would it make sense to justify this because you clearly “hate” and are prejudiced against meat-eaters? Do you really…
