I'm firmly of the belief that business and beliefs shouldn't mix. If I own a business or provide a service, all customers should be treated equal. You pay me for my services, I do my job. Your beliefs/lifestyle and mine are irrelevant to the transaction. JMO.

Another Question: The liberal governor of Connecticut made a real scene by announcing his boycott of Indiana and the basketball coach at UConn has made sure that everyone knows he's not going to the Final 4 because of this law but would the Gov or the coach be so high and mighty if UConn didn't suck this year and would have made the final 4 or is this a boycott of convenience?

 

Word

I'm firmly of the belief that business and beliefs shouldn't mix. If I own a business or provide a service, all customers should be treated equal. You pay me for my services, I do my job. Your beliefs/lifestyle and mine are irrelevant to the transaction. JMO.

 

So if you're a printer for example, you would have no problem printing flyers for a group espousing white supremacy?

Maybe the UCONN coach will give me his tickets,

So if you're a printer for example, you would have no problem printing flyers for a group espousing white supremacy?

 

Nope. The purpose of a business isn't morality, it's to make money and turn a profit. Now if printing the flyers would in turn hinder my future business, I'd have a legit reason to not do so.

Nope. The purpose of a business isn't morality, it's to make money and turn a profit. Now if printing the flyers would in turn hinder my future business, I'd have a legit reason to not do so.

 

Would you package the materials in anything that would identify your business, as printers do? Would you allow that client to "tell his friends"? You could after all find a whole new niche market and increase your business but by extension have those views attached to your business. Would that be OK with you?

Nope. The purpose of a business isn't morality, it's to make money and turn a profit. Now if printing the flyers would in turn hinder my future business, I'd have a legit reason to not do so.

 

So it's ok to "discriminate" against someone if doing business with them may cost you future business?

I am usually pretty good at reading legalize and I have a hard time reading Indiana's law or the others referenced. (I think Clyde posted a good comparison link). So I have not figured out what the law is saying ro trying to say.

 

On a practical matter the issue of who a business can or can not refuse to interact with I believe varies with the 'product/services'.

 

Its hard to see where discrimination or non-interaction should occur on any 'off-the-rack' product. Same with housing.

 

Its the services, and most specifically 'custom services' that creates the real potential issues.

 

Custom services would include:

- Printing a unique log on a batch of T-shirts

- Creating a custom cake for a cerimony

- Catering

- Photography

 

 

Now in the custom services area in the big arena - IT services is an example - companies and individuals 'no-bid' all the time. They 'no-bid' for various reasons. Doubtful many of the reasons they no-bid are religious or discriminatory in nature.

 

Small business offering custom services need to no-bid things as well. But if a business no-bids to a 'protected class' potential client are they subject to being sued. Can a business no-bid without comment? Can a business no-bid because they would not feel they could do a good job? What if they are part time and only do a limited number of engagements? What if there is already a scheduling conflict and the protected class customer came in later and was left out?

 

I have some rental property and feel I know the rules on how it must be handled. I also have a small customer services business - after going through this thread I have no idea what to expect going forward.

So it's ok to "discriminate" against someone if doing business with them may cost you future business?

 

That's not discriminating against anyone. Refusing to do something because it's not profitable for your business is not even close to the same thing as refusing to do something because of the beliefs of the customer.

Would you package the materials in anything that would identify your business, as printers do? Would you allow that client to "tell his friends"? You could after all find a whole new niche market and increase your business but by extension have those views attached to your business. Would that be OK with you?

 

As long as it doesn't negatively impact my business, I would do business with anyone and everyone. If it's hurting my bottom line, that's a different story.

That's not discriminating against anyone. Refusing to do something because it's not profitable for your business is not even close to the same thing as refusing to do something because of the beliefs of the customer.

So I can refuse to do business with blacks as long as I claim I feel it will hurt future business?

So I can refuse to do business with blacks as long as I claim I feel it will hurt future business?

 

Now we're just being absurd.

 

I'd love to see someone try to prove that.

Now we're just being absurd.

 

I'd love to see someone try to prove that.

 

It goes a little something like this:

 

"My business has the appearance of class and distinction, an appearance and reputation dependent upon the types of people that come here to do business. Allowing the wrong type of people to come in here will hurt that reputation and appearance and in the long run, run off many of the well-to-do people upon whom the reputation (and high-dollar prices) of this establishment depend. I want to control who comes in here and does business so as to maintain my business' reputation as a place for the well-to-do and elite of this city."

 

It's mostly garbage, but so is a lot of the stuff you hear from some people on a daily basis.

 

It also is a moot point at the moment because race is a protected class under federal law and Indiana law and you don't get to discriminate based on race.

Now we're just being absurd.

 

I'd love to see someone try to prove that.

How will you prove it with any example? You can think it's absurd all you want but if you are going to allow someone to refuse to do business with someone for any reason you better be ready I let everyone claim the same.

How will you prove it with any example? You can think it's absurd all you want but if you are going to allow someone to refuse to do business with someone for any reason you better be ready I let everyone claim the same.

 

Would not be difficult at all to prove that doing business with a white supremacist (and I've already said an individual's beliefs wouldn't cause me to reject their business) would hurt future earnings.

 

Rejecting business for actual business reasons (i.e. it's not profitable to do) occurs on a daily basis. If you come into my bakery and ask me to make you 5,000 cupcakes for next Saturday, and the labor costs, the ingredients, etc. would negatively impact my ability to perform the task and run my business, sorry I'm turning you down. It'd be bad business on my part not to.