Some explanations of the new Indiana law:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/what-makes-indianas-religious-freedom-law-different/388997/
https://www.acslaw.org/acsblog/indiana’s-rifra-the-law-is-complicated-but-the-anti-gay-politics-are-not#.VRmkVk1F2GM.facebook
It is fraught with politics, FYI. Thanks, Paul, for bringing it up in class.
Reading these articles about the new Indiana law is quiet confusing with all the politics. However, being in nursing school we have been taught to treat anyone and everyone with the same amount of respect no matter there sexual orientation or religion. I honestly think this is a step back for the USA. Allowing certain types of discrimination not serving a person who is gay or a religion you do not believe to be legal just shows that we still have these issues that we had not to long ago with African Americans. I think Indiana needs to adopt a law my mother has always told me " treat others as you would want to be treat" and i would not want to be discriminated against just because i was gay or believed something different then other so i will not do it to other people.
ReplyDeleteEmily,
DeleteI completely agree. I think that since we live in America, people have the right ot not be discrimated against. Furthermore, if the law is passed, where does one draw the line? People wil want to deny services not only for religious affliation, or sexual orientation, but becasue someone looks different or has a disease that people dont want ot be near? Like denying serviceto someone becasue they have canver or liver faliure? This law has the potential as serving as a gateway into this kind of activity, and is very concerning.
I love how you add the golden rule, "treat others the way you would want to be treated". I don't think the governor would every want to be turned away from a business just because he is in politics. I know personally i would never want to be discriminated. What happened to everyone being treated as an equal? i think this law is awful, and i hope it eventually gets removed in the near future.
DeleteI think that this law is absurd. This law is essentially promoting discrimination. To me, there is no difference in denying service to someone because of their religious affiliation, than discrimating my race. Not only would this affect businesses financially, but it would affect peoples' percceptions about others and potentially themselves. It was for this very reason that slavery was abolished. It went against human rights when black people were discrimated against based on the coor of theri skin. And today, it would still be wrong to do. Therefore, it is wrong to discrimmate against people based on their religious affiliation.
ReplyDeleteThese articles infuriate me. I agree with Emily, this is definitely a step back for the US. We've come so far in terms of racial discrimination and I can't understand why this would be any different than that. This is promoting discrimination which is pushing us further back. I hope one day this goes to the Supreme Court and they rule it unconstitutional.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I completely agree with you this is such a step back and makes me angry that people are still suck in such discriminatory ways and the fact that the government has created a law should be ruled unconstitutional!
DeleteI completely agree that this a step back form the United States. Being from Indiana, i am slightly embarrassed that this is what my state believes is right. The law was not meant for discrimination in my opinion, but thats what it turned into. i hope it gets out ruled as well.
DeleteThese articles infuriate me. I agree with Emily, this is definitely a step back for the US. We've come so far in terms of racial discrimination and I can't understand why this would be any different than that. This is promoting discrimination which is pushing us further back. I hope one day this goes to the Supreme Court and they rule it unconstitutional.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading those article I am confused because of the language they used but i think i have basic understanding of it. I have an split opinion on the regulations of the law. I agree with part of the law, on defending religious values but at the same time i think it is a little radical with today's ever changing culture. In some states, same sex marriage is legal but in Indiana, i can deny you service because you are gay. To me that's an oxymoron! I don't know how we can move forward when we are still discriminating against people but for other reasons than race now. I am a religious person and all and i go to church, but i know that my church wouldn't ask a gay couple to leave because God made all of us as we are and who i am to tell you that you are wrong. Coming from a medical perspective, I can't deny treatment to some one because they are from a different race or ethnic background, i could get fired for doing that.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it seems this law had many different aspects as far as religion and sexual preference in one. Its hard for me to say either is right and either is wrong because my way of thinking is to "agree to disagree". If someones opinion is against or opposite of what i believe or think, it still doesn't make it "wrong", and i have no right to say that someone's opinion is wrong by any means. However, I do agree that putting this in written law form, actually pushes the US back in a way and I can see this being a slippery slope back down.
DeleteA lot of the wording in the law is very difficult to understand, which is why i believe the law was originally didn't not intend to hurt specific people, but when you decifer what it says, it completely discriminates homosexuals. my family is also an owner of a small business, and i know that we would never turn away people just because of their race or sexual orientation,
DeleteThis article really makes me very disappointed and aggravated with the way things are going backward. There were multiple people that stated their opinion about how the this is going against everything that we have fought to make right. There are people that are going to have different views and see things differently. We shouldn't be denied service because of this. I grew up in a religious environment and was taught what was right and wrong. Whether these things are against out religion, we are also taught to not be judgmental. I have never really considered denying someone service because of what they believe. Even if i had the choice to I wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I completely agree with what you have said. As a nation we need to move forward with accepting people's choice as to who they might marry or how they choice to live their life. I especially agree with the last sentence you wrote, saying i was raised in a religious environment and that taught me to not be judgmental and say I'm better than you or I wont serve you this kind of service.
DeleteEmily, i wrote in my article how religion should never be brought into the political system, since there is so many religions now a days. In my opinion, whose to say which religion is the most important, or has the correct values, without having a biased opinion of their own religion. I also was raised in a religious environment, and i am completely disappointed that this is how our country chooses to go backwards instead of forward
DeletePersonally, I believe the law is wrong and that it is promoting discrimination. If this happens in one place, who knows where else it will happen-will it happen in among other businesses where same sex marriage is legal but the owner doesn't believe in it? It is also a step back for the US. I think that this is the equivalent to denying service to someone because of their race, religion, etc in past generations. In today's culture, same sex marriage is more socially acceptable just like other people's race and religion so it shouldn't be denied in this generation.
ReplyDeleteGabrielle, I completely agree with you. It seems that we are promoting further discrimination. The law is a slippery slope, because the law must protect religious rights but at the same at point it so to far and violating other human rights. I think you make valid points.
DeleteI agree with all these points as well. It seems that the minute we start to get away from certain discrimination there are more that are brought up and started. I agree with Lauren when she says that we have to protect religious views but also the freedom of others. I don't know if there will ever be a right or wrong answer to these issues.
DeleteI agree with this completely. Emily, i couldn't agree more, it seems that our country will take two steps forward, and then three steps back. As soon as we try to get discrimination under control, something like this pops up.
DeleteBeing from Indiana, when I had heard that this law was passed I felt slightly embarrassed. I felt like Indiana was trying to bring discrimination back into the United States, after we have fought so hard for discrimination to come to an end. In my opinion, I always feel that religion is something that should never be brought into the political system, since there is such wide varieties of religions now a days, who is to say one is better than the other, without being biased. One thing that I love about the medical field is that you are to treat your patients equally, whether they are homosexual, a different race, or have HIV. Although I don't think that the law was meant to purposely hurt people, but that is what it has turned into, and I am completely against it.
ReplyDeleteAbbie,
DeleteYou talk about bringing discrimination to and end and you also mention that you don't believe religion should be a considered a political right, can't we say that about race too then? There are so many ethnicity's in this world, how can we talk about them without one person being bias?
Amanda,
DeleteWhile I get what you're saying, I don't believe that's the point Abbie is trying to get across. To me, it sounds like she's saying something along the lines of 'religion having less say in political matters', and not 'religion shouldn't be considered a political right'.
You did have a great point there though! Bias in politics is always going to be inevitable. One group's going to be favored over the other. There's just no way around it. However, with the right progressive steps, I believe that we can 'minimize' the damage that our government's bias has caused within due time.
Just like anything else in our society, these two articles are based on opinions and what one thinks is the right thing to do. If you have ever been a strong supporter of something you would know that there is nothing someone could do to change your views and then you have to ask yourself, why would I change my views for someone else? Yeah, some can argue that this is a step in the wrong direction and is discriminatory against groups but what if our laws always favored the minority? The people with strong beliefs need someone to support or stand up for them too. We should always put ourselves in the shoes of both parties involved. Yeah, sure I wouldn't like to be discriminated against but I would then chose to take my money or business somewhere else, how is that going to hurt me any? It is just like a doctor who refuses to assist in physician assisted suicide if they believe it is morally unacceptable, they shouldn't be forced to provide that service just like someone who is against gay marriage shouldn't be forced to promote or give service to a gay couple. Ex: The photographer who wouldn't capture the gay couples wedding. This is no where near to a "win win" situation but I think majority of American citizens can come together to make things work.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
DeleteAfter reading over your post and really considering the points you have made it makes me open my eyes to the other side of this situation. When reading about these articles the only thing I could think about was that denying someone service is absurd. Once I saw some of the points you made about everyone having opinions and comparing the law to doctors denying patients assisted suicide I really see where things could go the other way. Even though I have a strong opinion about this law being discriminatory I definitely can see the other side because of the points you have made.
Amanda, lets take a road trip. Pick in year prior to 1950... Lets say the 40's. Black aren't allowed to eat at the same lunch counter, go to the same school and in some cases have the same educational opportunities as their counterparts. I guess what Im trying to say is, how is discrimination because of race any different that discrimination because of sexual orientation. I am not sure if you have ever worked in the service industry(sever, bartender, phone rep) but do you know how many times Ive had to take care of guest who clearly didn't like me. Or the strange and astonished look I get when the hear me speak, primarily, I think because of the color of me skin. Long story short, how is one form of discrimination any different than the next. GLBT money spends just like straight money last time I checked. I have put myself on both sides of the argument and call it bias or not, anyway you spin this its wrong and should be illegal
DeleteSeeing that a law like this is still in place is kind of embarrassing being a US citizen. Discrimination among religion, race, sex, or ethnicity is something we are going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives. As we grow up and generations evolve, I think we take steps in the right direction toward equality. However, cases and laws such as this show that we still have work to do and that we are forever going to be fighting this discrimination battle. Unfortunately, I don't think this is an issue that is going to resolved any time in the near future. I believe that religion needs to be left out of politics 100%. In my opinion, within our society the two strongest opinions that people have are going to be regarding religion and politics. These to areas should not be mixed considering they are two of the strongest opinions that people have. Denying someone service because of this is absolutely absurd in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteKrista, I completely agree with you that a law such as this being passed is absurd. America has been fighting a long battle regarding discrimination. We have made a lot of progress in the last 50-60 years, but obviously we are not to a completely peaceful state in our society. I also do not think this issue will be resolved in the near future, if ever. It is part of human nature to be opinionated and to have personal beliefs, and those will indefinitely differ from person to person. However, I do wish that people could lay down their weapons sometimes when it comes to "fighting for what they believe."
DeleteThe only thing you said that I don't quite agree with is your statement that religion should be left out of politics completely. While I agree that religion complicates politics, I feel that it can never be fully removed because a lot of drive that people have for political change stems from their religious beliefs. For some people, myself included, religion plays a part in every aspect of life, so it is very difficult to draw dividers with that. I hope that sometime in our lifetimes we could see a greater shift towards a more accepting society.
Krista,
DeleteI agree with your statement, we are discriminating against individuals for other reasons and not race. I think that church and state need to be separated because it is impossible to please everyone and their beliefs. We don't live in a perfect world and that's what makes us all unique and different, we need to learn to accept each other for who we are.
Krista,
DeleteYou make some very good points. Religion and politics should be two separate entities. I believe that there are too many politicians out there that force their religious ideologies down the throats of those who don't share those same ideals. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't care if you're a religious politician or not. I just don't like the idea of being forced to go along with something I don't believe in; just because someone interpreted a religious idea differently than I did.
EVERYONE,
ReplyDeleteSince the media and societal backlash that has occurred in response to this law, governing bodies have since made an amendment to the law prohibiting the discrimination again members of the GLBT community. While a step in the right direction, I feel the law is still outdated and should be illegal. If a white supremacist comes into your establishment and doesn't cause trouble he or she should still be given service despite what they believe in or for that matter what you believe in.
Paul, I'm glad you have been doing your research and brought this up to the class. Even though I have been trying to be better about watching the news and keeping up with current events, I don't catch everything by any means, so this is news to me. I am happy to hear that steps are being taken in the right direction. Removing the GLBT community from the law will definitely cut down on discrimination significantly. However, I agree that supremacist groups and others of the like should be serviced in the same manner as all types of people, as long as they are behaving in a polite and respectful manner. If a person is not causing trouble, they should be left alone by business owners or security personnel, regardless of their internal beliefs or values.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that something was done about the law but I also agree with what Paul said and believe that something should be done in order to prevent these laws from being made in the first place. I believe as the generations grow the younger generations are a lot of the time more accepting of differences and taking the steps everyone should towards equality for all. Like what Krista said, with laws and cases like this shows there is a lot left to be resolved and it won't be resolved any quicker because of these laws. I believe if the person is not being a disturbance to the store and is being respectful then there is no reason for this discrimination to be in place. In the health care profession, discrimination among patients we all agreed was wrong, so what makes the discrimination against clients or customers different? The money is the same, there is no difference between straight money or GLBT money.
ReplyDelete