Meanwhile, back in Kansas...

[Hermit]

...a law is being passed to allow discrimination on religious grounds.

...the new law will allow any individual, group, or private business to refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Private employers can continue to fire gay employees on account of their sexuality. Stores may deny gay couples goods and services because they are gay. Hotels can eject gay couples or deny them entry in the first place. Businesses that provide public accommodations—movie theaters, restaurants—can turn away gay couples at the door. And if a gay couple sues for discrimination, they won’t just lose; they’ll be forced to pay their opponent’s attorney’s fees. As I’ve noted before, anti-gay businesses might as well put out signs alerting gay people that their business isn’t welcome.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to barring all anti-discrimination lawsuits against private employers, the new law permits government employees to deny service to gays in the name of “religious liberty.” This is nothing new, but the sweep of Kansas’ statute is breathtaking. Any government employee is given explicit permission to discriminate against gay couples—not just county clerks and DMV employees, but literally anyone who works for the state of Kansas. If a gay couple calls the police, an officer may refuse to help them if interacting with a gay couple violates his religious principles. State hospitals can turn away gay couples at the door and deny them treatment with impunity. Gay couples can be banned from public parks, public pools, anything that operates under the aegis of the Kansas state government.

Read more at Slate.

[Svartalf]

will either go back directly to the graveyard of silly, unenforced laws, or will be attacked in court and promptly be declared unconstitutional.

[Robert_S]

Have you BEEN to Kansas? I hear they nuked it once, but nobody noticed.

[laklak]

Definitely violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, and doesn't look likely to pass in any case. Just another bullshit publicity stunt by a group of brain-dead assholes.

[Hermit]

Definitely violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, and doesn't look likely to pass in any case. Just another bullshit publicity stunt by a group of brain-dead assholes.

The article argues that the bill is very likely to be passed, but I do hope it'll get clobbered on constitutional grounds.

[klr]

I can never understand why people even propose laws that are (in whole or in part) certain to be found unconstitutional.

[Robert_S]

I can never understand why people even propose laws that are (in whole or in part) certain to be found unconstitutional.

In a vain attempt to look like a victim of big bad federal gov'mint and thus deflect attention from the fact that their perpetual butthurt is a result of their inability to rise to the level of human being.

[JimC]

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

"Thank fuck for that..."

[Seth]

...a law is being passed to allow discrimination on religious grounds.

...the new law will allow any individual, group, or private business to refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Private employers can continue to fire gay employees on account of their sexuality. Stores may deny gay couples goods and services because they are gay. Hotels can eject gay couples or deny them entry in the first place. Businesses that provide public accommodations—movie theaters, restaurants—can turn away gay couples at the door. And if a gay couple sues for discrimination, they won’t just lose; they’ll be forced to pay their opponent’s attorney’s fees. As I’ve noted before, anti-gay businesses might as well put out signs alerting gay people that their business isn’t welcome.

Good, because religious freedom trumps the desire of gays to be served.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to barring all anti-discrimination lawsuits against private employers, the new law permits government employees to deny service to gays in the name of “religious liberty.” This is nothing new, but the sweep of Kansas’ statute is breathtaking. Any government employee is given explicit permission to discriminate against gay couples—not just county clerks and DMV employees, but literally anyone who works for the state of Kansas. If a gay couple calls the police, an officer may refuse to help them if interacting with a gay couple violates his religious principles. State hospitals can turn away gay couples at the door and deny them treatment with impunity. Gay couples can be banned from public parks, public pools, anything that operates under the aegis of the Kansas state government.

This paragraph is utter horseshit. Public servants are governed by an entirely different set of rules regarding discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, in the performance of their official duties. The law addresses ONLY private interactions in commerce.

[pErvinalia]

...a law is being passed to allow discrimination on religious grounds.

...the new law will allow any individual, group, or private business to refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Private employers can continue to fire gay employees on account of their sexuality. Stores may deny gay couples goods and services because they are gay. Hotels can eject gay couples or deny them entry in the first place. Businesses that provide public accommodations—movie theaters, restaurants—can turn away gay couples at the door. And if a gay couple sues for discrimination, they won’t just lose; they’ll be forced to pay their opponent’s attorney’s fees. As I’ve noted before, anti-gay businesses might as well put out signs alerting gay people that their business isn’t welcome.

Good, because religious freedom trumps the desire of gays to be served.

Bad. The freedom to believe hateful fairy tales should never come above the rights of all law abiding citizens to be treated equally.

[Hermit]

...a law is being passed to allow discrimination on religious grounds.

Good, because religious freedom trumps the desire of gays to be served.

The 14th amendment in principle and subsequent US supreme court decisions in particular differ on that opinion.

Public servants are governed by an entirely different set of rules regarding discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, in the performance of their official duties. The law addresses ONLY private interactions in commerce.

Did you read even the opening paragraph of the bill? It states that no individual shall be required to do any of the following, if it would be contrary to the sincerely held religious of the individual or religious entity regarding sex or gender. Further down it is made explicit that individuals working as public servants are included for the purposes of that bill, for it states that if an individual employed by a governmental entity invokes any of the protections provided by section 1, as a basis for declining to provide a lawful service the shall either promptly provide another employee to provide such service, or shall otherwise ensure that the requested service is provided, if it can be done without undue hardship to the employer. Yeah, and I wonder how difficult it would be for a government agency to successfully claim undue hardship in a society that has elected a bunch of legislators who would come up with such a discriminatory bill in the first place.

[MrJonno]

Freedom of religious practise does not exist anywhere in the world including the US. For quite obvious reasons it would be impossible for any society to function if you just said ' I believe X as my religion therefore I can do it'

[HomerJay]

Monkey see, monkey do.

They've learnt some jargon from the human rights lobby and decide that anything that prevents them doing what they want to do is 'discrimination'.

Just like muslims who complain that someone insulting Mohamhead is breaching their ooman rights.

[JimC]

Monkey see, monkey do.

They've learnt some jargon from the human rights lobby and decide that anything that prevents them doing what they want to do is 'discrimination'.

Just like muslims who complain that someone insulting Mohamhead is breaching their ooman rights.

Those monkeys need to evolve...

[Seth]

...a law is being passed to allow discrimination on religious grounds.

...the new law will allow any individual, group, or private business to refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Private employers can continue to fire gay employees on account of their sexuality. Stores may deny gay couples goods and services because they are gay. Hotels can eject gay couples or deny them entry in the first place. Businesses that provide public accommodations—movie theaters, restaurants—can turn away gay couples at the door. And if a gay couple sues for discrimination, they won’t just lose; they’ll be forced to pay their opponent’s attorney’s fees. As I’ve noted before, anti-gay businesses might as well put out signs alerting gay people that their business isn’t welcome.

Good, because religious freedom trumps the desire of gays to be served.

Bad. The freedom to believe hateful fairy tales should never come above the rights of all law abiding citizens to be treated equally.

But it does here, so fuck off. Discrimination is a civil right protected by the 1st Amendment. Only government is required to treat all citizens equally, not private individuals, who are free to pick and choose who they will and will not associate with.