Colorado baker Jack Phillips in trouble again, refused cake for transgender woman

[$tevie]

Lemon Drop wrote: nobody should have to drive around town wondering which merchants are bigoted and won't serve them.

Well, when you KNOW IN ADVANCE that the merchant is bigoted, there is NO POINT in going in there unless you are setting up a lawsuit. Which I have a problem with, personally. Until there's a new lineup in the Supreme Court, say a generation from now, what exactly is the point here?

[Dennis S]

There's a simple solution. I'm surprised no one has thought of it. See, you just put up signs, like:

WHITES ONLY

or

NO GAYS

or

CHRISTIANS ONLY

You get the idea.

[btfc]

The customer complained to the state. The state found that Phillips violated state law. Phillips filed the lawsuit.

[deckeda]

I think $tevie wants such lawsuits to be “pure.” Wandering onto an unknown bakery and getting the same result would somehow make it righteous since it would be unexpected.

Waiting until a different SCOTUS bench would make it cleaner and more convenient, so much less heartache. Except for the little problem of waiting decades.

[Lemon Drop]

$tevie wrote:
[quote=Lemon Drop]nobody should have to drive around town wondering which merchants are bigoted and won't serve them.

Well, when you KNOW IN ADVANCE that the merchant is bigoted, there is NO POINT in going in there unless you are setting up a lawsuit. Which I have a problem with, personally. Until there's a new lineup in the Supreme Court, say a generation from now, what exactly is the point here?
Only this transgender customer hasn't sued anybody. I see no benefit to them whatsoever except the knowledge that they are helping to prevent future harm to others. They endured discrimination and humiliation and correctly complained about it to authorities.

[rjmacs]

$tevie wrote:
Is this the only baker in the county, or was someone looking to file a lawsuit?

I'm sorry, but I think this is stupid. There are far more serious issues for transgendered people than the fact that an ahole bigot won't bake a cake for them. This guy is going to have every person seeking a fight, a lawsuit, or a chance to punch him out coming through his door.

$tevie, I think your reaction reflects what a lot of people feel - why is this one person sucking all the air out of the room? I feel that way, especially as brutal violence against trans women of color continues apace, with virtually no attention paid by major outlets.

At the same time, I think it bears saying that the opportunities to test legal principles like this are uncommon, because cases so clear are rare. I can't speak to the wisdom of pursuing a case like this right now (given Kennedy's departure from SCotUS), but I can understand why the lawyers took it. Principles like the one in this case extend to lots of real-life situations more consequential than cake-baking. If they think they can win a valuable precedent, I can deal with hearing about Scrooge McCake one more time.

Thanks for reminding us about the real dangers that face trans folk, and using your voice to amplify that message.