ACLU attorney: Blocking Chick-fil-A over gay marriage ‘viewpoint discrimination’
July 26, 2012 By: Joe Newby
Although the ACLU strongly supports same-sex marriage, a senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois warned that if Chicago bans Chick-fil-A over the religious views of its management, it will be engaging in “viewpoint discrimination,” Fox News reported Thursday.
“The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words,” said ACLU senior attorney Adam Schwartz.
“When an alderman refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination,” he added.
ACLU attorney: Blocking Chick-fil-A over gay marriage ‘viewpoint discrimination’