Joe Scarborough Defends Indiana Business Owners Over Anti-Gay Bill MSNBC host Joe Scarborough came to the defense of business owners while discussing Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Reformation Act.
On Wednesday, Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and the "Morning Joe" panel were discussing the legislation, which makes it legal for individuals or companies to cite religious freedom if sued for discrimination by, say, someone in the LGBT community.
Scarborough said that while he would not discriminate against an LGBT person, he cannot pass judgment on a small-town florist with ingrained religious views who does not want to service a gay couple's wedding.
Brzezinski, who attempted to go to a commercial break, put her foot down when pressed for her opinion.
"It's not our place to judge or deny business to people that we disagree with in any way," she said. "I'm sorry, I don't think attitudes changing over the past 20 years is really the way to describe it. This is about human rights ... We're not going to block people from going into stores because we disagree with their lifestyle."
After a flood of backlash from celebrities, corporations and other states alike, Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) said Tuesday that changes will be made to the bill to bar discrimination against the LGBT community. Arkansas is slated to sign a similar bill, but Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) said he will only sign if the current version is similarly altered to prevention discrimination.
On Wednesday, Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and the "Morning Joe" panel were discussing the legislation, which makes it legal for individuals or companies to cite religious freedom if sued for discrimination by, say, someone in the LGBT community.
Scarborough said that while he would not discriminate against an LGBT person, he cannot pass judgment on a small-town florist with ingrained religious views who does not want to service a gay couple's wedding.
These are firmly held beliefs that people have had for thousands of years, and you can call it bigotry if you want to, but just because the attitude in the United States of America has changed over the past decade doesn't mean that we, on this set in Manhattan, should judge -- I'm sorry -- a florist in Little Rock, Arkansas, or in Indianapolis. I'm sure I'll get in trouble for this, but I'm sorry. Everybody is marching lockstep. I wouldn't do it, but at the same time if somebody believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, I just wonder where [do] their rights stop? Can you no longer go into business as a florist in America if you believe that a man marrying a man or a woman marrying a woman is a sin? And I'm just asking a question.
Brzezinski, who attempted to go to a commercial break, put her foot down when pressed for her opinion.
"It's not our place to judge or deny business to people that we disagree with in any way," she said. "I'm sorry, I don't think attitudes changing over the past 20 years is really the way to describe it. This is about human rights ... We're not going to block people from going into stores because we disagree with their lifestyle."
After a flood of backlash from celebrities, corporations and other states alike, Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) said Tuesday that changes will be made to the bill to bar discrimination against the LGBT community. Arkansas is slated to sign a similar bill, but Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) said he will only sign if the current version is similarly altered to prevention discrimination.
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