One of the things I really miss is the philosophy courses from college I took years ago.  And I mean the one's from my day where students and teachers were able to sit in a small class environment and discuss things without fear of being "canceled" while opening the discussions to different perspectives (the way things are now, I doubt even that is still happening on college campuses as it once did).

So here is my question to ponder regarding the US Supreme Ct/wedding designers and LGBTQ recent court ruling - but first, a clarifying point.

My father was a wildlife artist and true naturalist and from time to time during his life, he took on commission jobs with his art.  He would do things like personal portraits and illustrations of the family pet and other things.  At one time this one idiot approached him in a tavern and asked if he would do a painting of a dead duck in his favorite hunting dog's mouth.  Now, to know my father, over his passion and love of the natural world, the mere request would be an insult to him. So, to avoid any type of issue, my father told this man "maybe" just to shut him up (this dipshit later went around bragging how my father was going to do it and I had to correct him that he was NEVER going to do it, but politely left out what an ignorant and insulting request it had been in the first place).

So, my question is, when someone is offering a service how is something like this any different from a business refusing to produce or create something that either offends their beliefs or is against their religious opinions and the like?

And where are the lines drawn?  I mean, say a parent wants a birthday cake for a child that is a big fan of The Punisher and the business refuses to make cakes with comic book characters rooted in violence, but is willing to do innocent renditions.

Or say, refuses to decorate a cake with images of firearms, or a Trump or Biden cake, and so on.  How about nudity? Or curse words?

I mean, say a business opens for the sole purpose of catering to a specific group or belief system and is asked to do something that is outside of its business model? Does that business not retain some sort of power over what it will and will not do? For example, in my area, there is a business quite well known for selling patriotic products - flags, banners, and other display items.  Now, say someone comes in and requests an upside-down flag knowing this business promotes a different type of patriotism.  Does that business not have a right to turn such a customer away?

I may be missing something here, and it might be very simple, but again, the journey of expansive knowledge thrives on the exchange of ideas and that journey does not have to include one believing in certain things just because one discusses or asks about them.