Condo associations deny new members that may have committed crimes in the past or who lead a lifestyle that they consider to be “unacceptable.” Facebook doesn’t let gun shops or cannabis makers advertise even though their products are perfectly legal. Trendy bars and restaurants surreptitiously deny access to certain customers that don’t have a certain “look.” Retail stores throw homeless people out of their establishments although no laws are being broken. And frankly, it happens more often than you think - even with big corporate brands. A business owner shouldn’t have to do business with people he doesn’t want to do business with. So should the baker, the website designer, or any small business be required by the federal government to provide their services to any customer, regardless of their religious beliefs?Īs a small business owner and free speech advocate I, at first, would say no.
