It has nothing to do with "religious" scruples.
It has everything to do with the freedom to tell people you do not want to work for them for any or even no reason.
A friend of mine does cakes. She turned down doing a cake for a baby beauty pageant. She is as far from a religious person as you could possibly get but she believes that dolling up kids as sex toys is wrong and she will not be a part of it.
Since she did not give a reason for declining she is probably not going to get sued but if she did she would stand firmly on her right not to take that commission.
And I would support her because the right to say "No" is a fundamental freedom if not THE fundamental freedom.
No one has a right to your labor.
Not even if they offer money.
That’s right. If this were a can of beans, everyone would have a right to buy it. But it’s a cake with a design and a message . That is the difference. Elton John has the right to refuse to play at Republican events. This cake designer should have the same freedom.
The question is, is your friend a private business or a commercial store front bakery?
Our religious freedoms are not transcended by any other right. It is a part of the 1st amendment, along with free speech for a reason. If you do not have religious freedom you do not have freedom. All the others follow...
Good on your friend. Those pageants are grotesque. Jon Benet anyone?
Very succinct and spot on. The right to say ‘No’, is a critical right.