Just a reminder that with Republican bigots blocking ENDA and the Supreme Court leaving a hole in religious freedoms big enough to drive a tank through, if you're LGBTQ in America, you still can be legally discriminated against in dozens of states, like Pennsylvania.
Two women who hoped to buy gowns to wear to their wedding were turned away from a bridal shop in Bloomsberg, Pennsylvania, prompting a torrent of criticism for the store online and by word-of-mouth.
According to PAHomepage.com, the brides-to-be were informed that the W. W. Bridal Boutique “does not service same-sex couples” because to do so would be a violation of their “religious beliefs.”
One of the two women — who wish to remain anonymous — posted on Facebook that she called the store to schedule a fitting for herself and her partner. She was reportedly placed on hold for several minutes, then told, “Unfortunately she would not be able to schedule an appointment for us because they currently do not service same-sex couples — it’s just not something they do.”
The bridal shop’s Facebook page has been deluged with angry criticism from people who believe that businesses shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose who they serve based on sexual orientation.
“As a fellow Christian, I’m ashamed of people like you,” wrote one commenter. “We are taught to love our neighbor regardless. Did you skip that part?”
Channel 7 Eyewitness News contacted a local civil rights attorney who confirmed, however, that the bridal store’s actions are legal. Pennsylvania currently has no laws against discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
And why do I care about this? Because there's no moral difference in saying "We won't serve you because you're lesbians" and "We won't serve you because you're black." There is however a legal difference: one's patently illegal, the other is fine and dandy.
That must change, and it will in my lifetime. I think it will happen in the next decade, actually.
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