If the Rockettes and Buzzfeed have the right to refuse business to Donald Trump and his supporters on ideological grounds, what about the rest of us?
Donald Trump’s election has produced one unexpected benefit: his opponents are now making freedom-of-conscience claims that parallel arguments Alliance Defending Freedom has made in courts for years.
Opponents of President-elect Trump are saying they can’t in good conscience do business that helps Trump and his supporters, because it would violate their deeply-held beliefs to do so. That’s how we’ve advocated for Elane Photography , Arlene’s Flowers , Hands On Originals , Brush and Nib Studio , and other cases, including the latest case for Telescope Media Group in Minnesota.
Trump’s upcoming inauguration has brought forth freedom-of-conscience objections that add to other ones from the past year. Phoebe Pearl, a dancer with The Rockettes, and Jan Chamberlain, a singer with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, have refused to perform in the Inauguration Ceremony because of their opposition to the president-elect and his policies. CNN reports that Chamberlain wrote she could “never sing for [Trump],” because that would be like “endorsing tyranny and fascism” and “throwing roses to Hitler.”
Excuse Me, Your Double Standard Is Showing
The inauguration is also bringing forth freedom-of-conscience objections from homeowners in Washington, D.C., who are refusing to rent their homes to the Trump supporters coming to see him get sworn in as president. D.C. residents voted 91 percent in favor of Hillary Clinton. Many thought they could make some money renting their houses via Airbnb to Clinton supporters coming to town Jan. 20. But then she lost the election, and that changed the market for short-term housing rentals.
Clinton’s election defeat caused massive cancellations of those Airbnb reservations. But now the homeowners are receiving requests to stay from Trump supporters, and these landlords believe that having Trump supporters in their homes would violate their conscience. The Huffington Post explains the angst suffered by these progressive homeowners:
But some individuals who had planned to post their D.C. area homes on Airbnb said they are feeling conflicted about renting to or sharing their place with people who voted for Trump.
“I have a visceral reaction to the thought of having a Trump supporter in my house,” said Lobna, who had planned to rent out a room in the apartment she shares with two roommates. All three of them are Clinton supporters.
“No amount of money could make me change my mind,” she said. “It’s about moral principles.”
Via The Federalist