A South Dakota Republican lawmaker has
defended a bill he sponsored which sought to allow businesses to
discriminate against gay men and lesbians.
Last week, a South Dakota Senate panel
killed Senator Phil Jensen's measure, which explicitly stated that
businesses could discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
“As a follower of Jesus Christ, I'm
commanded to love, to love everyone,” Jensen told South
Dakota Public Radio. “That doesn't mean I must condone the
lifestyle choices that someone chooses. The GLBT movement doesn't
just want society's approval. They want their lifestyle choices
applauded. They want standing ovations.”
By way of example, Jensen used a Ku
Klux Klan analogy.
“If someone was a member of the Ku
Klux Klan, and they were running a little bakery for instance, the
majority of us would find it detestable that they refuse to serve
blacks. And guess what? In a matter of weeks or so that business
would shut down because no one is going to patronize them,” Jensen
told the Rapid
City Journal.
Of course, Jensen fails to mention that
the KKK was not only powerful in its day but also very popular in
many areas of the country. For instance, before burning a cross, KKK
members would hold a parade down main street in broad daylight.