[Albion Wilde]

Now that was a reasoned response -- thank you. Do you happen to know if the photographer who was fined for not shooting a gay wedding had a public studio, or a home-based business? It seems almost impossible to avoid being characterized as public if you even have a web site on the Internet. I ask this because I ran a small service business for years, and chose each client carefully. There were people I turned down for a variety of reasons. If you advertise, then do you run the risk of being seen as "public"? Thoughts?

I hope some lawyers publish opinions or law journal articles about this, assuming you could find a lawyer concerned about freedom of conscience. I wish some pro bono lawyer would appeal this case for the baker and the photographer and eHarmony and all the businesses persecuted this way.

[superloser]

Do you happen to know if the photographer who was fined for not shooting a gay wedding had a public studio, or a home-based business?

Not offhand, but the definition of "public accomodation" has expanded significantly. Originally, it was meant to simply mean that you couldn't throw people out of restaurants and hotels and bars because they were black. Now it means just about anything the politicians want it to mean.

The general rule they taught me in business school was that if your door is open to the public you have to take whatever customer walks in -- if you didn't want to get in trouble.

The OR case is a bit odd. The bakery was asked to make a cake for a ceremony that is illegal in OR and then got in trouble for it.

It may be possible to refuse business because your perception is that you would be an accessory to an illegal act. That may or may not work given who is in office. Certainly claiming a religious exception is not working.

We live in perilous times.