Arizona SB 1062

Arizona SB 1062 does not once mention homosexuals or gays.  From the editorials (news) you see and hear, you would guess it does.  To be fair to the bill and its author, Sen. Yarbrough, Republican, it doesn’t specify in any way who is discriminated against.  SB 1062 was voted for successfully along party lines and we are a Republican state.  It is yet to be signed into law by our Governor.  Would you guess that a religious issue would break along party lines?  I would guess that there are about as many Christian Democrats as there are Christian Republicans.

The bill protects the ignorant and gullible religious business owners against discrimination law- suits brought against them for discrimination credited to their religious beliefs.  A simple example of this would be a gun shop owner unwilling to sell a gun to a woman because the clerk’s religion says that women should not be armed.  Or, a drug store may not be willing to sell birth control devices due to the owner’s religious belief that birth control is a sin.  I suppose CVS Drug Stores can refuse to sell cigarettes because they are discriminating against the product, not the customer.   The proposed law would allow a bigoted café owner not to serve someone he suspected of being gay.   Most businesses are in business to make a profit on sales to their customers.  Ancient taboos hopefully would have little effect on these sales.  I don’t recall reading in a bible that there is any person who you may not sell goods to.  The state liquor board will tell a restaurateur not to sell liquor to someone who is drunk, but that seems only reasonable.

Not selling a wedding cake to a homosexual couple seems unreasonable if the state the marriage is taking place in says the marriage is legal and the church the couple belongs to, or a JP, is willing to marry them.  A wedding cake does not a wedding make.  It is like refusing to sell them a light bulb to light the reception room.  It is only the gay sexual act that the baker can possibly object to.  Even if the objection were valid, it’s up to God to do the enforcing, not the merchant.  So, when you get a business license to serve the public …. do just that.  You are not a minister and your business is not a church.  The desired morality in business is honesty.  Stick with that and you will sleep easy.

Jim Crow is dead.  Discrimination by business owners against their customers has long been a cause of action for those who are discriminated against.  If a customer is causing a disturbance or doing harm in a business place, they may be asked to leave without the owner fearing litigation.  This is the law now and altering it would not be an improvement.

Cheers, Old Buz