As someone who has cried at the weddings of loved ones who happen to be gay;
As someone who believes that all of us are created equal in the eyes of God and who strives at all times to treat everyone accordingly;
As someone who does not share the beliefs of Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy - someone, who, in fact, thinks he's dead wrong - on the subject of gay marriage:
I stand with Chick-Fil-A.
If we want to send a message to businesses we don't like, then we don't buy things from those businesses. No one is forced to patronize Chick-Fil-A.
But we don't stop companies from opening a legal business because we don't like the ideas expressed by its ownership. That's totalitarianism - fascism dressed up to look nice for the cameras.
"It's a free country," we like to say when somebody we disagree with expresses the intent to do something we wouldn't do. But we don't really mean it anymore.
It's not a free country when - because of your beliefs - the government can forbid you from opening your own business, where the marketplace is supposed to decide your fate, not holier-than-thou politicians and bureaucrats.
It is not the government's role to decide which businesses are fit to operate based upon the philosophy of the people who run it. That job is up to the businesses' potential customers. If enough people decide they don't want to patronize a business, it will be forced to close its doors.
But here's the prickly fact that has vexed totalitarians since the Dawn of Time: If a legal business competes fairly in the marketplace and provides a product or service that is good enough and provides enough value, it will more than likely succeed, regardless of the point of view of the owner. Which means that those who don't like what the business owner believes must tolerate the existence of the business. The bluenoses espousing "Tolerance" can't stand that.
The bad ideas of the business owner can be discredited through the same free speech the business owner has. And, most importantly, the bad ideas espoused by the business owner can be defeated at the ballot box through the election of politicians who will not enact those ideas into law.
But having to explain one's own ideas; to take the time to counter the ideas one doesn't like; to devote time to candidates and causes that counter the ideas one doesn't like - all of that is a lot of work. So we tend to look for the easiest way to feel comfortable - and that is to get the government to crush anyone who says things we don't like.
And that is the exact opposite of tolerance.
So long as Chick-Fil-A is operating its restaurants under the same rules, and complies with the same laws, as its competitors, it must be given an equal opportunity to operate where those competitors operate.
If you don't like Dan Cathy's religious beliefs, don't give him your money. If there are enough people who agree with you, Chick-Fil-A will not be around very long.
If, on the other hand, there are more people who either agree with Dan Cathy or (more likely) don't care and instead buy his product for completely market-based reasons such as quality and value, you'll just have to tolerate that. Welcome to America.
