Earlier this month, in a typical move by low-level lawmakers vying for a promotion, Rep. Jay Fant, R-Jacksonville, filed a bill that would allow business owners to refuse service to LGTBQ individuals without legal consequence.

Fant is currently running for Florida attorney general.



Called the "Free Enterprise Protection Act," House Bill 871 was written with the First Amendment Defense Act in mind, which prohibits the government from taking any "discriminatory action" against a business because of its "personnel and employee benefit policies."

Florida doesn't have laws on the books that protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination, so it's still perfectly legal "to fire someone, evict them from housing or deny them service at a restaurant" because of their sexual orientation or chosen gender, according to Equality Florida. That means Fant's bill essentially leaves the backdoor open so that any and all businesses are allowed to openly discriminate at their own convenience, whether out of religious conviction or plain old garden-variety hate.



The bill was inspired by the Supreme Court case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which involved a Colorado baker's refusal to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple.

By some accounts, at least those of common decency, the legislation stands little to no chance of passing.

However, if you're interested in what Fant had to say after filing the bill several weeks ago, refer to the tweets below: