by Diane Robertson
If ever there was a time in U.S. History for Americans to rise up and stand together the time would be now. People may celebrate the Obergefell ruling legalizing gay marriage, but what many need to realize is that with this single ruling, the governments, both state and federal, may grant itself the power to punish speech. This will affect gay and straight, young and old, religious and non-religious.
Well before the legalization of gay marriage in Oregon, a privately owned bakery refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. Before the Obergefell ruling, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries fined the owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein, an incredible $135,000. After the ruling, the Commissioner ordered the Klein’s to, “cease and desist from publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying, or causing to be published … any communication to the effect that any of the accommodations … will be refused, withheld from or denied to, or that any discrimination be made against, any person on account of their sexual orientation.”
Not only have the Klein’s been severely punished for refusing services, they are ordered, by law, not to talk about it. They cannot even say that they would refuse service because of their religious beliefs. The state of Oregon has not only taken away their freedom to act on their beliefs, but has taken away their freedom to talk about their beliefs.
Once the government grants itself the right to limit speech for something, it will not stop. Never in history has a government taken up power over the people and given it back. If history proves true, and it usually does, there won’t be any speech that is above government scrutiny.
Only one thing can really be done, and that is we must never “cease and desist” from writing and speaking. Everyone needs to be talking, writing, and publishing about the Klein’s treatment by the Oregon government. If everyone speaks out, this will not continue. The Oregon government cannot punish everyone in America.
No matter their sexuality, religion, race, or any differences, all Americans ought to be willing to protect each other from a government that would grant power unto itself and forcefully limit the speech of the people.