Christian-Owned Tax Service in Indiana Won’t File Lesbian Couple’s Joint Return | Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist | Patheos The latest example of a Christian demanding the right of decide what rights others should have comes to us from Russiaville, Indiana, USA, where Christians discriminating against victims of their choice is perfectly legal.
The Christian in question is Nancy Fivecoate, of Carter Tax Service with whom Bailey Brazzel had always had good, professional relations, having used her services for a number of years.
However, when Bailey and her newly married partner, Samantha requested help filing their joint tax return for the first time since getting married in July, Fivecoate refused, using her Christian faith as an excuse. In her words:
I am a Christian and I believe marriage is between one man and one woman. I was very respectful to them. I told them where I thought she might be able to get her taxes prepared.
A 'respect' which apparently extended to discriminating against them on the grounds that she didn't personally approve of their sexuality and choice of partners, then lecturing Bailey and Samantha about the Bible, assuming they needed her to explain why their perfectly legal arrangement offended her sense of indignant self-righteousness so should not be permitted. So surprising was her arrogant condescension that the couple at first assumed she was joking, maybe parodying an extreme religious bigot for comic effect. Alas, she was being serious.
Fivecoate further explained:
The LGBT want respect for their beliefs, which I give them [sic]. I did not say anything about their lifestyle. That’s their choice. It is not my choice. Where is their respect for my beliefs?
Apparently, Fivecoate's idea of showing respect for her is to allow her to discriminate against and bully anyone of her choosing, and not question her right to do so.
One wonders whether Fivecoat inquires into the life-style of heterosexual couples for whom she provides services, and requires them to comply with her religion in all respects, including not judging others or showing evidence of hypocrisy, or whether she reserves her discrimination only for those who extend Christian love to people of the same sex.
The shame is that Fivecoate's discrimination would be illegal in the nearby cities of Kokomo and Indianapolis where there are ordinances in place to restrict the right of bigots to inflict their judgmental bigotry on others. This means there is very little BAiley and SAmantha can do in terms of recourse to law, however, Steve Sanders, an associate professor of law at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law gives this advice:
The only recourse is good-old fashioned shaming — going on Facebook and telling their friends this is a discriminatory business and people might want to think twice about visiting.
Although Fivecoate and her Carter Tax Service has little in the way of presence in the social media, recommendations or otherwise for people looking for tax services in Indiana, USA can be left here. It will be interesting to see whether her high Christian principles and belief in her right to judge and bully others, survives the loss of income that might come from people declining to be judged and given lectures on morality and the Bible in return for paying her for her tax services.
Great read, love it.. AtheistDad !
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