WHEN WILL APPLE BOYCOTT HOMOPHOBIC PLACES LIKE SAUDI ARABIA AND CHINA? Shikha Dalmia: The overblown hypocrisy of Tim Cook’s business boycott of Indiana.
The Indiana law goes farther, and also applies to disputes between private parties. This “would allow people to discriminate against their neighbors,” alleges Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has become a liberal hero by leading the corporate campaign to boycott Indiana.
This is a horrible caricature.
For starters, the Hoosier RFRA allows private individuals to discriminate only when that is absolutely necessary to avoid violating their core religious principles. A Christian restaurant owner’s refusal to serve gays wouldn’t fit the bill. However, a Jewish baker who refuses to make sacramental bread for a Catholic Mass or an Evangelical photographer who declines to photograph a gay wedding might — might, mind you, not will. That’s because the law provides merely an argument for courts to weigh when evaluating discrimination complaints against such individuals — not an automatic defense. Judges could still decide — in fact have decided — that equal treatment is a compelling enough government interest that such discriminatory actions against gays are prohibited.