A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that although more Americans
support marriage equality (44 percent) than oppose it (39 percent), 57
percent also think it should be perfectly legal for people to refuse
service to same-sex couples.
David Kenney, a self-employed Catholic from Novi, Michigan, said
he's fine with same-sex marriage being legal. He's among the 57 percent
of Americans who said wedding-related businesses - such as florists -
should be allowed to refuse service if they have an objection rooted in
their religion.
Well, there you have it. Another lesson in
Religious Freedom = Discrimination. Just to be clear, in the vast
majority of states and municipalities across the country it's still
perfectly legal to refuse service to LGBT citizens. Although Title II of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from being refused service
on the basis of their race, color, religion, or national origin, no
such federal protections exist for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and
transgender individuals.
But what the poll really indicates is that people are profoundly
confused about the term "religious freedom." The First Amendment does
not guarantee us the right to discriminate based on our religion, it
instead guarantees us the right not to be discriminated against based on
our religious beliefs.
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