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DOUG WHITINGER EDITORS@NUVO.NET Doug Whitinger is a native Hoosier and advocate for the LGBT community in Central Indiana.
cakes and wolf it down in a buttercream gay couple was recently denied binge, would they deny me based on the a wedding cake by a local bakery sins of gluttony? And again, how would that claimed making a cake to they know? celebrate a gay marriage violated its “Sir, before you walk out with that owners’ religious beliefs. A citywide cake, please complete this questionstatute is already in place prohibiting naire so we may determine the intended discrimination on the basis of sexual use and purpose of said cake.” What I orientation. Some local legal experts say do with the cake is not the baker’s busithe statute may not apply, while others ness. If I want to take it home and slathsay it depends on the facts of the case. er it on my naked torso while invoking Regardless of the legality of the situathe blessings of Paula Deen, I should be tion, it’s a shitty thing to do. able to. (But I won’t. Promise.) The couple moved on to another bakReligious liberty provides one the freeery willing to fulfill their request, but the initial rejection must have been humiliat- dom to practice faith openly, but it also ing. Their ceremony would be largely symbolic, provided that our great state denies What I do with the cake them the ability to define their union as marriage. Denying is not the baker’s business. them baked goods, which requires zero legal recognition, is icing on the hateful cake. protects one from being forced to follow By no means do I count myself a the beliefs of others. It entitles you to Biblical scholar, but it’s my understanddeny me a sermon in your church, not ing that when Jesus performed his mirservice in a public business. Perhaps if acle at a wedding of turning water into your deeply held religious beliefs prohibit wine he didn’t confirm the sexual orientation of each guest and he didn’t qualify you from serving a subsection of your fellow citizens you should reconsider whethhow the wine should be used. Rather he er or not to go into business at all. Or at made the wine to aid in the celebration least take some of the guesswork out of it. of the day. He also served he multitudes, State your intention to discriminate right among which were sinners of all styles, in your company name: Body of Christ with loaves of bread and fish. He didn’t Bakery, You’re Going To Hell And I’m condemn the multitudes for needing or Not Tire and Lube, No Infidels Tax Prep wanting the food. He simply provided or White Power Salon and Spa. Then you (as simply as one can perform miracles, wouldn’t have to deny anyone service. I suppose). That begs the question Your non-preferred clientele would know WWJD: Who Would Jesus Deny? they were not welcome in the first place. What would prevent me from going Allowing discrimination while hiding to a bakery and ordering a wedding behind religious texts sets a dangerous cake for my “sister and her totally male, totally straight fiancé,” then bringing the precedent. Where does it stop? Could an anti-gay doctor refuse to treat a gay cake to my own gay wedding? Would patient in a public hospital? Could this bakery deny an interracial couple, a Muslim firefighter refuse to fight a an atheist couple, a couple who had fire at a synagogue? Could a Catholic engaged in premarital sex? And more teacher refuse to teach a Protestant stuimportantly, how would they know dent in a public school? Of course they such things about their clientele? If could. But should they? n they knew I planned to buy one of their
4 VOICES // 03.26.14 - 04.02.14 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO