Originally Posted by Gilda

I suppose it's my fault for phrasing the question slightly differently in the title and in OP, but the question in the OP was whether it was appropriate to refuse service based on race, sexuality, etc.



It probably comes as no surprise that I strongly disagree with you here. I also suspect that this is a lot easier to say when you are in the class that is least likely to be targeted for discrimination.

Also, keep in mind that protected classes in civil rights legislation very seldom identify a specific minority group and are nearly always written in such a way as to protect the rights of the majority as well. Laws saying you cannot discriminate in housing and employment say, for example, you cannot discriminate on the basis of race. This protects blacks, Hispanics and whites. Orientation covers straight, gay, and bisexual people. Gender identity and expression covers both transgendered and cisgendered people. Sex covers both men and women.



Absolutely. Bigots are a protected class in the US.



Nonsense. In a civilized society, such bigotry shouldn't go unchallenged. I would hope that there would be a backlash and that your business would go under as a result.



I'm always flabbergasted by the claim that straight white males are oppressed in our society.

There are scholarships given to white people. They just happen to be set aside for a specific class of whites most of the time, Irish, Russian, Italian, Scottish. I had a scholarship going to college that you had to be the child or grandshild of a Russian immigrant to qualify for. There are scholarships given to males. I've seen a good number of scholarships given to one male and one female student who meet certain qualifications--my brother has one of these.

I've never heard of a scholarship given because one is wealthy, and that does seem foolish, but giving more scholarships to the poor than to the middle class makes perfect sense to me.



Catering to a specific group of people is different from discriminating against others. The former is fine, the latter is bigotry.



So minorities that are the target of discrimination should just accept it as the way things are?

Vocal advocacy is the only tactic that is consistently effective at gaining equal rights



I disagree. I think bigotry deserves no repsect, and should always be fought, opposed, and exposed for what it is.

Gilda