GoFundMe, a popular site that allows anyone to post a cause and accept donations, implemented a sneakily-worded new rule. A GoFundMe spokesperson announced that if the cause an individual or organization is raising money for is formally accused of discrimination, that page will be taken down and barred from accepting donations. On its face, that doesn’t sound like a bad rule- most of us would consider it reasonable for GoFundMe to stop the KKK from using the site to accept donations towards building new offices all over the country.
The hidden purpose of the new rule is that Christian-owned businesses who have refused to cater to causes they don’t believe in will also have their pages taken down. This rule would also make it incredibly easy for any group aiming to cater to or provide a service aimed at Christians to be thrown off the site. There is no hard and fast rule explaining what is or isn’t considered “discriminatory,” leaving it completely open to interpretation.
Is a Christian summer camp for kids “discriminatory?” Is a website that would help match people with a church that work well for them discriminatory because it doesn’t provide the same service for mosques?
The earliest and best-known victims of the new rule are Arlene’s Flowers and Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a floral shop and a bakery respectively, whose Christian owners refused to create specifically pro-gay products. The owner of Arlene’s Flowers said no to creating all the flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding, and the owner of Sweet Cakes by Melissa refused to make the wedding cake, which would have clearly borne a pro-gay message, for a same-sex couple.
Although there are many wonderful causes listed on GoFundMe, Christians may soon turn somewhere else.