At the end of June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City.
Men and women were led out of the bar in handcuffs, put into the backs of police wagons and arrested for no crime other than the indecency of being homosexual or wearing gender-bending clothing.
It was a common occurrence in America at the time, throughout the early 20th century, for police to target, harass and assault men and women for their sexual orientation, which was seen as both a psychological disturbance and a criminal activity. It was not a good time to be gay.
And in June 1969, the patrons of Stonewall Inn fought back against the police and the city in what have become known as the Stonewall Riots. The beginning of the gay rights movement.
Ever since, gay people have been more and more accepted by society. Much of the intolerant and abusive behavior of the State and society against homosexuals has been wiped away to the point that the seemingly biggest problem a gay person has to face today is whether or not a bakery will bake them a wedding cake.
Here’s your perspective. And here is my question: what’s the big deal about wedding cakes?
This could just be the jadedness of a person who remembers a time when gay people were still considered deviant. This could be the jadedness of a person who spent six years in the military living in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” closet. It could just be my own form of intolerance.
But the whole issue about wedding cakes is ridiculous. It’s silly. For a number of reasons.
For one thing, nobody has the right to another person’s production or labor. Outside of a prior contractual agreement and mutually beneficial monetary transaction, there is no room for demanding a product be made or work be done by anybody coercively.
That would be enslavement.
Secondly, the desire for such coercion is unreasonable. Screaming at someone or threatening him or her with physical or financial retribution, for the sake of strong-arming them into doing your bidding is, frankly, evil.
If someone doesn’t want to do something for you, without keen persuasion, agreement and cooperation between individuals, there is nothing to be done in a moral sense.
Basically, “no” means “no”.
That being said, if someone is going to be irrational enough, ignorant enough and bigoted enough to not sell someone a cake because of something as superficial as being gay, why does that person deserve business or money?
Would it be prudent to promote that person or endorse their product? It wouldn’t be. It would be much better to walk away and give your money to someone who isn’t a bigot.
Don’t give money to bigots.
When looking at the supposed crises coming from Indiana, Oregon, California and other places where gay couples have been refused service or product, keep in mind that it’s OK. It really is.
Times have been so much harder for gay people. We are living in a golden age of tolerance now. And it keeps getting better.
So, should we really go down the road of coercion, force and hypocrisy?
Don’t seek to enslave people, remember “no” means “no” and don’t give your money to bigots.
And always remember Stonewall.
Respond to Bryan at
