Oklahoma Republican State Senator
Joseph Silk has expanded on remarks that gay people “don't
have a right to be served in every single store.”
Silk is the sponsor of a bill that
seeks to make it easier for businesses and individuals to opt out of
serving people on religious grounds. Most believe the bill targets
gay men and lesbians, a point which Silk appeared to confirm in
comments to The
New York Times.
“The LGBT movement is the main thing,
the primary thing that's going to be challenging religious liberties
and the freedom to live out religious convictions,” he said. “And
I say that sensitively, because I have homosexual friends.”
He added: “They don't have a right to
be served in every single store. People need to have the ability to
refuse service if it violates their religious convictions.”
After his comments went viral, Silk
penned a response in which he declared that his bill “has nothing
to do with” the LGBT community.
“The intent of the bill is to protect
private property rights and religious liberty,” he
wrote. “As a legislator, I will always fight to protect
people's liberty to live their lives according to their beliefs and
convictions.”
Silk went on to describe the gay rights
movement as having “zero tolerance” for others.
“People have a right to be homosexual
and I will always protect that. However that right does not give
them an excuse to trample another person's right to live out their
religious beliefs in their place of business.”
“The problem with the current LGBT
movement is that they have zero tolerance or consideration of other
peoples rights [sic], and yes they are a threat to our freedoms and
liberties in the United States and Oklahoma. I am not questioning
the rights of the LGBT movement, I believe they have the right to
live how they want to live. They, on the other hand, are launching a
massive campaign that is attempting to strip other people's
individual liberties away if they hold different beliefs...this is
complete intolerance,” he wrote.
Silk concluded: “Yes I did say that
homosexuals do not have the right to be served in every store, just
as I do not believe that I, my family, or anyone else have the right
to be served in every private business. The right to provide
services should be the decision of the business owners. We need to
keep our country free and stop this radical, intolerant, movement.”