Though I am not, at this stage of my life, what anyone
would call a religious person, some members of my family more than make up for
my lack of faith. I have discussed their beliefs versus my beliefs and have
found them to be not only understandable but admirable. I respect them for the guidance they have
found through their Christian path, and have for the most part, been impressed
with their acceptance of me … a person whose sexual orientation often runs
counter to established religious enclaves who in the past would have rather
picked up a handful of stones to lob at me as compared to sitting down,
talking, and accepting all people regardless of who they are. Unfortunately, not everyone is as accepting as
members of my family. Case in point,
Arizona.
I won’t rehash the arguments that lead to the passage of
Arizona bill SB 1062, which now awaits Republican Governor Jan Brewer’s signature
or veto. In short, if signed, it would
allow Arizona businesses to discriminate against gay people based on religious
grounds. In other words, if the manager
or owner of a certain business, say for example Chik-Fil-A Restaurant, thought
gay people were sinners and an assault to his or her religious beliefs, he or
she could ban them from that establishment and refuse to serve them. The law would not even provide for a separate
lunch counter to serve gays or lesbians, much the same way African-Americans
were treated as recently as the 1960s.
Really, it is discrimination. There
is no simpler way to put it.
The law has put Arizona in the spotlight once again, and
a positive spotlight it is not. As I see
it, there are really two losers here.
First, the state of Arizona itself.
Not only does the action by lawmakers there reinforce a growing belief
that Arizona has become the backwoods arbitrator of misguided moral beliefs, a
state filled with right wing kooks who pride themselves in limiting the rights
of anyone who is not of their ilk. It is
also threatening the economic foundation of Arizona’s tourism and industrial
community. Business leaders have
overwhelming come forward opposing the bill.
Howard Fleischmann, majority owner of six Community Tire
Pros and Auto Repair told AzCentral.com. “The state already is known as being
discriminatory. This would muddy the water and give Arizona a more terrible
reputation.”
The other loser would be those religious groups that
continue to cling to antiquated positions of exclusion. "We
see a growing hostility toward religion," said Josh Kredit, legal counsel
for Center for Arizona Policy, a social conservative group that opposes
abortion and gay marriage. Is it any
wonder why? As the country and society
in general again move toward a climate of greater acceptance, hostility is
bound to increase towards any organization that espouses discrimination or
hatred, regardless upon what it is based.
Those churches and individuals who have broken away from
the right wing and in recent years have become more inclusive in their
acceptance of everyone are often unfairly lumped in their less tolerant brethren.
Thus, they also stand to lose when they
are judged as part of the same religious community that opposes equal rights.
I do feel somewhat for the religious leaders who oppose
this form of discrimination, but at the same time, I hold little respect for
them if they don’t stand up now and vocally oppose what is going on in
Arizona. Some community leaders and
politicians already have.
A pizza parlor in Tucson has posted a sign saying it
reserves the right to refuse service to legislators.Newspapers and commentators across the country have lashed out against the people of Arizona. The New York Daily News in a headline declaring, “New anti-gay bill proves Arizona is the land of dinosaurs — and bigots.”
Embarrassed Democratic lawmakers have also come
forward. As Arizona state House minority
leader, Democrat Chad Campbell, Tweeted, "The world is upset with how
Russia has treated gay rights... I think it's time for that same anger to be
directed towards AZ."
