Introducing Lakeland's discriminatory and non-discriminatory business/organization registries
The U.S. Supreme Court has given businesses the right to refuse service to customers based on the owner's religious beliefs. If you plan to exercise that right, let me help you publicize it.
Given this new legal landscape, I’m creating lists of private Lakeland businesses on both sides.
Businesses that are excited to take advantage this new religious freedom to deny service.
Businesses that reject it and welcome any orderly customer.
I think this will provide a valuable civic and consumer service. A voluntary registry is far more honest and direct than the corrupt SCOTUS’ ruling, which was a hypothetical situation based on a fake inquiry.
As Justice Gorsuch wrote in his opinion: "The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place, where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands."
I agree. Choosing to shop at a business is a form of free expression. So let’s give Lakeland’s rich and complex community of consumers the information they need to speak with their money.
Let’s build this civic tool together, owners and customers
So, if you’re a caterer or web designer or stationary designer who plans to refuse service to same sex weddings because they are a same sex couple, let me help you publicize that policy so the wrong customers don’t bother you. Or so you don’t have to resort to fake inquiries like the Colorado plaintiff.
I assume you want your neighbors to know about your principled discrimination if it’s core to your religious beliefs and personal ministry.
On the other hand, if you welcome everybody who behaves in an orderly fashion to your business — for religious reasons, or just because you’re decent people — I’ll help publicize that, too.
Likewise, if you’re a customer who encounters a Lakeland/Polk business that denies you service in the name of freedom, send me a note about it. We’ll build this thing together.
I know at least one discriminatory business/organization that is celebrating the ruling today — Lakeland Christian School, professional home of Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Nepotism. LCS a few months back fired Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz from its board because it perceived him as too friendly to Lakeland’s LGBT community.
See article below:
So LCS has the honor of being the first known entry on the registry. Come sign up, other discriminating folks, and proudly declare your religious freedom. I’ll help.
I am not coercing anyone. I'm simply calling on discriminatory businesses/orgs to publicly celebrate their legal discrimination. I think you are the one who does not understand. I think my solution is excellent is very consistent with spirit of Justice Gorsuch's ruling. Curious why you disagree.
This has nothing to do with the Supreme Court ruling. Christian schools have had the legal right to seek alignment between its mission and its families as long as they have existed.
You also seem to be misunderstanding the Supreme Court case. The grounds on which 303 Creative was able to refuse service was the freedom of speech clause in the first amendment, not the anti-establishment clause. So, by this ruling, if a restaurant says they will refuse service to Muslims or homosexuals on the grounds of the religious beliefs of their owners, both of these policies are still illegal. They just can’t be coerced into making speech that they disagree with. In fact, 303 Creative specifically said they welcome business from gay customers-- just not the creation of a wedding website where they would have to produce speech that violates their values. Just like a Muslim website designer could reject a job in which the client was asking for blasphemy against Allah. Or a gay designer could reject a job where it’s requested to produce a site that he considers homophobic.