We live in a profoundly disappointing moment where bigotry is confused with free speech. Dan…We live in a profoundly disappointing moment where bigotry is confused with free speech. Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, concretized his anti-gay views last month, which have since provoked a firestorm of debate in the public forum. This type of speech is indicative of the increasing polarization of the American populace.

Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist, and a series of speakers on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” have argued that Chick-fil-A’s stance on gay marriage is an exercise of free speech. In the aftermath of Cathy’s bigoted declaration, the mayors of Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, our own Pittsburgh and others condemned Chick-fil-A’s presence in their cities. A major argument that has permeated the public discourse is that Cathy’s comment was nothing more than an exercise in free speech and that government figures condemning Chick-fil-A are overstepping their authority and the role of public institutions.

This argument is valid to a certain extent. This makes me think of what Thomas Jefferson said: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” In most cases, I would agree that whatever remark someone makes is permissible and an exercise in free speech. In a liberal state, we have an obligation to allow free speech and dissemination of information, no matter how intolerant or antithetical it may be to my, or people of similar mind’s, way of life. However, the case for gay marriage and gay rights is different.

The current debate reminds me of a similar debate and the oppressive struggle of another minority class: the civil rights movement of the 1960s. A vast portion of American society was opposed to integration after the reversal of the “separate but equal” doctrine. When public swimming pools were integrated, it is reported that white racists poured acid into pools while African-Americans swam. When public schools were integrated, white parents pulled their children out. Fifty years later, some racism still exists, but the debate over the merits of integration is over and tolerance won.

Any rhetoric today that espouses racist ideology is immediately labeled as bigoted. The current debate surrounding Chick-fil-A and gay rights isn’t about free speech — it’s about recognizing the basic rights of a class of people who deserve equal treatment and protection from discrimination and harassment. Pushing the dialogue toward a debate on free speech is diverting attention from an uncomfortable issue that most Americans don’t want to talk about.

If a prominent businessman announced his anti-Semitic or racist views, they and their business would be undoubtedly condemned by society and by the law. Why is it any different for the gay population? Homosexuals are still not classified as a protected class according to federal law. Douthat and his contemporaries have argued that because of this, public institutions have no obligation and should not take action against corporations that have espoused certain values. This is a mistake. Public institutions and their leaders have a moral obligation to condemn speech that targets a specific subset of the population whether or not they are a protected class as part of an overall agenda to not allow the malicious targeting of any group. Mayors and city council members condemning Cathy’s comments are contributing to eliminating bigotry just as controversial public figures condemned racism in the former half of the 20th century before African-Americans were considered a protected class. In 50 years, this debate will seem ridiculous and those who opposed gay rights will retrospectively be labeled intolerant.

Until the gay community is considered a protected class and the level of the dialogue is elevated to a place where we can engage in a conversation on the merits of affording gay people equal rights, then we as a nation still haven’t learned the difference between hate speech and free speech. Until then, I suggest avoiding Chick-fil-A and familiarizing yourself with the values of the companies you use.

Write Eric at [email protected].