Advertising "Christian Skate Times" apparently "is evidence of a human rights violation" because it "denies or at a minimum, discourages non-Christian patronage," according to a June 15 letter from the state division.
- "Tot Skates" made the cut. HR doesn't appear to feel that people over the age of 5 are being denied their rights.
- "Tween Skates" are safe. HR apparently isn't worried that people outside of the 6-13 age bracket will feel discouraged from coming.
- "Family Nights," while obviously aimed at families, were safe, not being considered as a human rights violation against singles or couples with no kids.
- "Adult Disco Parties" are also OK in the eyes of the New York Division of Human Rights. Kids won't feel left out and people who don't like disco music ... well, they probably wouldn't want to go, so advertising for the event is completely acceptable.
Just in case that's not bad enough, the local weekly paper got the same letter, accusing it of "aiding and abetting" the violation, said the editor-at-large, Greg Childers.
The Times-Herald's Record Online reported that Rev. Lou Sheldon, the director of the Traditional Values Coalition in Washington, said, "This is crazy. These people are exercising basic constitutional rights on private property to the exclusion of no one and the state government is treating them like dangerous criminals. This is political correctness run amok."
Len and Terry Bernardo, owners of Skate Time 209, may agree, but despite retaining the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington firm which has argued conservative causes before the U.S. Supreme Court, they don't want a court fight.
"We would like it to go away," Terry Bernardo said. "We're afraid if we make too big a stink, the state won't let it go."
So the skating rink has changed its ad to refer to "Spiritual skate times" instead of "Christian skate times." It looks like that worked. The Traditional Values Coalition reported that, "The Department of Human Rights Counsel Gina M. Lopez-Summa, informed the ACLJ that she still considered the word “Christian” to be a violation of New York’s anti-discrimination laws, but because the word “Spiritual” was substituted, the agency would not begin an investigation against Skate Time 209."
What's next in the state of New York? Will Christian churches be banned from advertising? Will Christian radio stations be canned and Christian television programs (such as televised church services or crusades) be outlawed? Will Christian book-stores have to changed their names in order to not run afoul of the New York Division of Human Rights?
What will happen to Christian music festivals like Kingdom Bound, one of North America's largest and longest-running Christian music festivals? Will Rap Fest, held every August in the Bronx and billed as "30,000 Watts, 26 Rap Ministries, 8 Hours for 1 God, Jesus Christ" have to stop calling the groups "ministries" and remove God and Jesus Christ from their logo and ad copy?
I keep pinching myself and trying to remember that I live in the United States of America, which was founded, in part, for religious freedom. Then I remember the fitness center in Wisconsin that stopped playing any Christian music in order to avoid a lawsuit from an offended client and several other "Get God Out" incidences over the past few years, and I wonder. When did we become a society where it's OK to be anything you choose ... except a Christian who doesn't hide their faith? Polls clearly state the Christianity is the most practiced religion in the United States, so I ask you, when will we stop being the silent majority and find our voice? When will we stop averting our eyes, plugging our ears and biting our tongues when a government body makes "God," "Jesus" and "Christian" dirty words?
