Suchergebnisse

Imagine a young woman, Elaine, who is a gifted photographer. She launches a small photography business with her husband, and soon she is in demand throughout the state. Her specialty is weddings. One day Elaine receives a request to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony. Politely, she declines, explaining that she only photographs traditional weddings. Several months later, she is contacted by the state's Human Rights Commission. Elaine learns that a complaint has been filed against her, and she is being charged with discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Imagine a young man, Michael, who is a gifted filmmaker. While his true gift lies in the creation of short films and documentaries, Michael funds his passion by shooting various advertisements and other more "commercial" projects. As the next presidential election draws near, Michael is approached and asked to film an ad for the challenger, a conservative, gun-toting business owner of a multinational corporation who favors an increase in oil exploration and owns a fleet of gas-guzzling SUVs. While flattered, Michael has long supported the liberal incumbent, and has already produced several ads for his campaign. Therefore, he politely declines. Within weeks, a complaint is filed against Michael for discriminating on the basis of political ideology. One of these scenarios is all too real, and Elaine's business, Elane Photography, was forced to pay fees in excess of $6,000. The second could quickly become a reality, as the legal framework already exists to sustain it. While state, and later federal, public accommodation laws proscribing discrimination have played a key role in "protecting the civil rights of historically disadvantaged groups," defenders of liberty should agree that decisions which force a Christian photographer to provide services for a same-sex commitment ceremony or force a liberal filmmaker to shoot political advertisements for conservative candidates are untenable. Indeed, these situations are readily distinguishable from a ...

"Public School Policies: Discrimination, Harassment, Bullying, and Accommodations" published on by Oxford University Press.