As Governor Mike Pence (R-IN) tries to push through a new law that would allow businesses in his state to discriminate against LGBT customers, one has to wonder how many Indiana business owners would actually take advantage of that ability to deny service to people solely based on their sexual orientation.
Late last week, we got a glimpse into the mind of one Indiana restaurant owner, who called into the local Kyle & Rachel radio show to proudly declare that he has discriminated against gay customers and is looking forward to getting the governor's explicit permission to keep doing so moving forward.
The man, who only identified himself as Ryan, said that as a Christian he understands that some people have a different "lifestyle" than him, but he doesn't want them coming into his place of business and making his customers "uncomfortable."
The hosts did not let him off easy, asking directly if he has ever discriminated against gay people in his restaurant. "I have discriminated," he said openly, explaining that he has pretended there was a problem with his kitchen in order to not serve them in the past.
"That makes you feel OK?" Rachel Bogle asked him. "I mean, when you get a bed at night saying, 'I've discriminated against other human beings,' you feel at ease with that?"
Ryan said he feels fine about it because he believes he should be able to do whatever he wants in his own restaurant. "We don't want to have this in our place of business, it's just not right," he said. But while the caller was happy to share his story, he would not say the name of his restaurant.
Perhaps he fears a boycott if people found out about his unspoken policy of exclusion?
Listen to audio below, via RadioNOW 100.9:
[h/t TowleRoad]
[Photo via RadioNOW]
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated that the caller's discrimination was "illegal." As one of our commenters helpfully pointed out, there is currently no law that bans discrimination against gays in the state of Indiana.
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