All: Please pardon the interruption and allow me to request any recommendations for a good resource on the current status of the law relating to public accommodation non-discrimination laws and how those laws have addressed religious liberty concerns. Here is the context:
On Monday, the City of Charlotte went through a significant debate regarding a proposal to add certain protected classes to the City's non-discrimination ordinance, including the addition of the following categories: "marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression." There was significant public reaction to the proposal (both for and against - indeed, there were over 120 speakers who spoke on the proposed ordinance amendment over the course of 4+ hours). Among the concerns raised was the fact that the proposed ordinance did not contain any exemptions or accommodations for (a) religious charitable and educational organizations who may be deemed to provide certain "public accommodation" services (e.g. Catholic Charities) or (b) for individuals / business owners for whom participation in a same-sex marriage ceremony would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs (e.g. the Coeur d'Alene litigation). At the end of the evening, the Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 against passage of the proposed ordinance (although it appears the ordinance failed to pass primarily for reasons other than the concerns about religious liberty). The issue is going to continue to be discussed and debated in Charlotte for some time, and I am certain it will be put back up for vote before the City Council in the not too distant future. There are individuals in the community who have expressed an interest to better inform themselves on the state of the law in this area (i.e. what are other cities and states doing, what kind of religious accommodations have been granted, what are the status of lawsuits dealing with religious exemptions to such provisions, etc.) I would appreciate it if anyone could point me to some good reading material that would provide a good overview of this area. Feel free to email me any recommendations offlist at willes...@yahoo.com. Best regards, Will Will Esser Charlotte, North carolinawilles...@yahoo.com
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