UPDATES: Plenty of new information about this story. See below.

In recent years, the LGBT community has gained a lot of visibility and more than a few rights. The good news is, that’s put many of us on equal or near-equal footing with our straight friends, family members, and neighbors.

The bad news is, just as we saw during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, these changes have increased tensions between progressives and conservatives. That’s causing some in our community to do stupid things, and it’s also encouraging folks on the Right to put their homophobia on full display.

Case in point: Brian Klawiter, owner of the diesel repair shop DIESELTEC in Grandville, Michigan. On Tuesday, Klawiter posted an angry screed to DIESELTEC’s Facebook page in which he said that he’d be happy to deny service to LGBT customers:

“I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that. Dishonesty, thievery, immoral behavior, etc. will not be welcomed at MY place of business. (I would not hesitate to refuse service to an openly gay person or persons. Homosexuality is wrong, period. If you want to argue this fact with me then I will put your vehicle together with all bolts and no nuts and you can see how that works.)”

Later, a TV crew found Klawiter and asked for clarification. Klawiter didn’t back down from his statements, but acknowledged that the legal landscape could eventually force him to serve LGBT consumers.

MY TAKE

I am not a religious person. Like many LGBT people, I grew up in a church-going family and was completely turned off by Sunday sermons full of fire and brimstone. Leaving the church has made me far happier — in part because all that hate was a real bummer, but mostly because I no longer have to spend an hour of my precious weekend listening to someone tell me that I need fixing.

That said, the practice of religion is protected in America, and Klawiter is certainly allowed to act on his Christian beliefs as he sees fit, so long as he’s not breaking any laws. That doesn’t mean that he’s above criticism — I know many Christians who’d be quick to call out his bigotry — but he’s entitled to his opinions.

The real question is: how can we make people like Klawiter reconcile their deeply held, deeply personal values with the fact that we’re not going away, and some of us need our diesels repaired?

That’s not a rhetorical question. I’d like some answers, please.

[via Towleroad]

UPDATES:

1) Klawiter has been on the receiving end of some serious blowback. Allegedly, he’s even gotten a few death threats. If you happen to know who made those threats, please remind them that in cases like these, anger is fine, death threats are totally not.

2) Someone set up a GoFundMe page for Klawiter, hoping to repeat Memories Pizza‘s crowdfunding bonanza. Alas, it appears that GoFundMe doesn’t want to be known as the place for bigots to earn cash, because it took the page down.

3) Cummins has told Klawiter to stop using its logo. Which isn’t really surprising, given Cummins’ firm opposition to Indiana’s RFRA.

4) There were protests near the shop, but thankfully, they remained peaceful.

5) Meanwhile, a very clever bankruptcy attorney has penned a very clever letter to Mr. Klawiter offering his services when DIESELTEC goes belly-up.