QUIZ: Which Discrimination Do You Think Should be Legal?
Since online quizzes don’t often result in enough painfully revealing introspection, uncovering deep unsettling truths buried within… take this fun and not-even-slightly troubling quiz about what discrimination you actually think should be legal. Then see how much your score — for which you will be harshly judged — matches up with the law!!
Quiz: Which of the following ripped-from-the-headlines forms of discrimination should be legal?
— 1) Accountant refuses to serve gay customers, citing religious beliefs.
— 2) Restaurant refuses to serve customers who are divorced, citing religious beliefs.
— 3) Doctor refuses to treat patients who are in interracial marriages, citing religious beliefs.
— 4) Grocery store chain puts up “No Christians” signs, citing religious beliefs.
— 5) Gas station puts up “No Muslims” signs, citing religious beliefs
— 6) Large software company fires someone because of conservative evangelical beliefs that just “don’t mesh” with the company culture.
Add them up and get your score.
Interpreting the Results.
See where your score lines up with my overtly judgmental, not-everyone-wins-and-there-are-definitely-wrong-answers scoring key.
Scores:
6: Well… at least you’re … consistent(?) honest(?) Just saying, I’m not sure I want to live in that world, but, hey, to each his own (unless it conflicts with your religious beliefs, apparently ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). Unfortunately for you, there is no state in the United States where this discriminatory utopia exists.
1–5: Thanks for playing. Now explain yourself!!!!! Muslims but not Christians? Interracial couples but not gay couples? Depending on your score, you may live in one of the states where multiple types of discrimination described, down to the exact detail, is 100% legal. (Texans raise hands.)
0: Wow, no discrimination at all? None? Sounds pretty harsh (not really). And for future reference, legal discrimination quizzes are scored like golf, so congrats on hitting a zero. But, unfortunately, there is no state in the United States where your gloriously nondiscriminatory utopia exists.
How much of this stuff is actually legal?
Now that the game is over, here’s what the law actually protects and doesn’t protect.
— 1) Accountant refuses to serve gay customers, citing religious beliefs.
Sexual orientation is not a constitutionally protected class (at least not yet; ask the Supreme Court). So, unless your particular state has passed a law that prohibits this kind of discrimination, you can be fired or refused service for being gay. Roughly half the states have no such protections. I’d tell you which ones, but I promise you, you can probably guess the vast majority of which ones they are.
(Okay, it’s Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.)
— 2) Restaurant refuses to serve customers who are divorced, citing religious beliefs.
Marital status is not a constitutionally protected class. However, many states — but not all — protect employment discrimination based on marital status, but non-employment related discrimination does not fall under those protections (at least based on my non-exhaustive review).
— 3) Doctor refuses to treat patients who are in interracial marriages, citing religious beliefs.
Race is a constitutionally protected class and is protected under the Civil Rights Act, so this is unlawful discrimination.
— 4) Grocery store chain puts up “No Christians” signs, citing religious beliefs.
Religion is a constitutionally protected class and is protected under the Civil Rights Act, so this is unlawful discrimination.
— 5) Gas station puts up “No Muslims” signs, citing religious beliefs.
Religion is a constitutionally protected class and is protected under the Civil Rights Act, so this is unlawful discrimination.
— 6) Software company fires someone because of conservative evangelical beliefs.
Religion is a constitutionally protected class and is protected under the Civil Rights Act, so this is unlawful discrimination.
