Maybe I Can Discuss the Downside of Same-Sex Marriage

The link above is to a news story about a couple who are being sued because they had reservations about doing business with a same-sex couple; they did not refuse, they were simply upfront about their reservations.

This was not a case of refusing service or denying someone the necessities of life (food) based on their lifestyle. This was a case of an inn-keeper and wedding chapel owners being upfront and honest about their reservations about being expected to participate in a same-sex wedding, so now they are being sued.

Business should operate on a simple principle, that of Adam Smith's invisible hand. Both firms and consumers are free to do business with who ever they choose and both firms and consumers are free to boycott one another for any reason. Business relationships are dynamic and businesses and consumers are boycotted constantly. I know of one lady who refuses to do business with a firm I work with based on an experience with a manager who has left and a staff that has turned over completely. I also know of one firm that refuses to business with the owner of the firm I work with, regardless of how much money is involved, for personal reasons.

Are the same-sex couple being discriminated against? Yes, but so are the other two example I have cited. The invisible hand guides money from one place to another and each business determines how much of what is in that hand is given to them based on their behaviour in the market place. The courts should have no say in such matters, it is a simple case of supply and demand and if the firm owner refuses to meet the demand they can suffer the economic consequences.