Maher: Gay People Being Denied Service Under RFRA ‘Just Doesn’t Happen’

HBO’s “Real Time” host Bill Maher criticized the Bible’s position on homosexuality, but argued that radical Islam is far worse. In addition, Maher admitted that “not once has one of these religious freedom laws been used to deny a gay person his wedding cake” on Friday.

“Conservatives have to admit they’ve lost the culture wars when they’re reduced to demanding the right to not serve wedding cake to gay people. That’s the biggest problem facing America, not climate change, or terrorism, or the wealth gap, but gay cake? it’s not like gays are asking bakeries to make a giant penis cake that goes from soft to hard and squirts out butter cream” he stated.

Maher continued, “ever since Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed his Religious Freedom Restoration Act, he and like-mind conservatives have been trying to have it both ways, they hate discrimination, but they love the Bible, a book that commands you to discriminate.”

Maher then discussed Matt McLaughlin, an attorney in California who recently introduced a ballot initiative to kill people who engage in sodomy, and argued McLaughlin isn’t a fringe individual, which he said “never gets discussed in these religious freedom issues.” He then argued that religious fundamentalists believe tolerating homosexuality will cause death and destruction, citing quotations from Jerry Falwell, John Hagee, Pat Robertson, and Bob Jones III before declaring “take fundamentalists at their word. They literally believe this stuff.”

Maher then switched gears, stating “just imagine if there was a whole country of Matt McLaughlins. Well, there is. It’s called Saudi Arabia, it’s called Iran, it’s called Pakistan. I could go on, but suffice it to say that in many Muslim countries, you wouldn’t have to work hard at all to get signatures on your kill all the gays ballot initiative. In 10 such countries, it’s already the law. Because they have crazy scripture too [the Koran].”

Maher, who called Indiana’s law “anti-gay,” concluded, “People say ISIS hijacked Islam, no actually, the opposite is true. Religions do have hijackers, but the hijackers are the moderates, and I thank atheist God for them. They’re the ones who took a Sharpie to the Bible and redacted all the crazy parts until there was almost nothing left to read, like an email from Hillary Clinton. And now someone in Islam needs to do that with the Koran. You know, there’s so much wrong with America these days, take pride in the one thing that is legitimately we don’t let fundamentalists rule our sh*t.” And “our gay battles are over cake, and even then, not once has one of these religious freedom laws been used to deny a gay person his wedding cake, it just doesn’t happen [emphasis added].”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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