>In the US, the law is very clear. If you run a place of "public accommodation" (which means a business open to the public), you're not allowed to discriminate. That doesn't mean you can't keep someone out for their behavior in your place of business, but you can't refuse to serve them because of their race, religion, sex, etc. This is settled law.
>
>One of the issues with these so-called religious freedom laws is that they will be found unconstitutional. So the states that pass them are simply creating an unnecessary cost for the taxpayers. Frankly, I think there should be civil penalties for legislators who pass laws that they know will be found unconstitutional. There've been a whole series of laws restricting abortion that fit the same model; there, the goal is to get a new case before the Supreme Court.

...which will gain them some airtime, and their electorate will see them trying to do something against the godless liberal majority. It doesn't matter that it wont give the desired result; the actual motive is "there is no bad PR". And perhaps they'll, once in a while, actually get away with it if the SC is caught asleep.