Illinois Christian Businessman Fined $80k for His Faith — But There is More

Another Christian business-owner has been persecuted for his faith. Jim Walder, owner of an Illiois bed and breakfast, has been fined $80,000 by the Illinois “Human Rights” junta (also known as the Illinois Human Rights Commission) for refusing to rent his facility to homosexual couple Todd and Mark Wathen, for their civil union ceremony. Even more outrageous, the Illinois Human Rights Commission has ordered that Jim Walder “[o]ffer the Wathens access to the facility, within one year, for an event celebrating their civil union.” You read that right. This unelected, quasi-governmental commission has mandated that Jim Walder not only pay a fine for not accepting a request that violated his religious beliefs but also to offer to violate his religious beliefs. Such a mandate clearly violates Mr. Walder’s constitutionally protected religious liberty. Despite what cultural regressives in their profound ignorance claim, the issue is not about discrimination against persons for some behaviorally neutral trait, like race, sex, or nation of origin, but rather about discriminating among types of activities. And despite what one of the homosexual plaintiffs claim, they were not turned away because of who they are. Illinois Family Institute