Daily Archives: April 9, 2015

Response to a Distressed Libertarian Reader about Discrimination

By William K. Black
Quito: April 8, 2015

Well, the key to getting strong responses from readers is now clear.  All I need to do is violate the standard rule on the three subjects to avoid to increase the chances of polite conversation – sex, religion, and politics.  My series of three articles on Indiana’s original Act authorizing discrimination discusses each of those subjects.  I thank Andrew for commenting on my third installment, which addressed the op ed in the Wall Street Journal urging “libertarians” to come forward to lead the charge to repeal all laws banning discrimination in private contracts.  Merchants, landlords, and employers should all be allowed to discriminate against any group without the necessity of creating a religious pretext for that discrimination.  I urged libertarians who were not nostalgic for the return of Jim Crow and the Klan’s embrace of discrimination to write and express their support for laws banning discrimination against groups in the marketplace.  None has taken up my invitation, but I thank “Andrew” for writing to express his support for the repeal of laws banning discrimination against disfavored groups in the marketplace.

Continue reading