"They don't respect our freedom of bigotry!"

http://i.imgur.com/hTAC4.jpg

Oh, but we did!

The question usually asked isn't "Should it be ok?" but "Should it be LEGAL?" Lots of not-OK things are legal, like breaking up with your girlfriend on her birthday because you think her cousin is prettier. Now most sane people agree that, in fact, discriminatory service should NOT be legal, possibly with some exceptions (it's probably okay for a black college to only accept black applicants if they want to, or a church to only employ staff of their own religion). Other people take a very libertarian view of how business can be regulated, seeing (understandably) a very thin line between regulating the political / moral stance of a business and regulating the political / moral stance of the people in a business.

But please please don't reduce to "anyone who disagrees with me must lack compelling reasons" because that makes it sound like you can't conceive of a thoughtful, considered person with a different opinion from you.

Contrary to popular belief, any business can refuse service to black people. They just can't say that's why they're refusing service.

From my viewpoint as a business owner, however, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Refusing someone's money because of how they look or what they believe is beyond stupid and only hurts you by hurting your bottom line.

I remember a couple years ago two ladies from Missouri came in talking about how appalled they were by all the rainbow flags and gay bars they saw near the hotel they were staying at (this city is basically the San Francisco of the midwest, and all the downtown hotels are right on the edge of the gay district) and how awful they think it is. I thought they were fucking stupid, insufferable cunts and couldn't wait for them to leave. But did it stop me from waiting on them? Absolutely not, I wanted their money, and I got it.

I honestly feel like the only business owner who would turn down money because of a customer's race today is someone who desperately wants conflict/attention. It's just so counter-productive to the whole point of being in business that it makes no sense otherwise. I could understand why some businesses, even those ran by people who had no problem with blacks, would refuse them service back in the Jim Crow south though (because in many cases that meant death for your business, and possibly death for your person).

I allow that there might be something compelling about why a business shown to be systematically refusing to serve a black customer is wrong, but shown to be systematically refusing to serve a gay customer is fine.
I just haven't heard it yet.

"A" gay customer, or homosexuals in general?

I've seen "a" gay customer do all kinds of ridiculous shit.

(I understood what you meant, I was just remembering a few totally insane people going shithouse in businesses for no reason)

Oh those throbbing, veiny Family Values.