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March 07, 2012 11:13 PM UTC

Biker Discrimination Protection, Maybe Not The Greatest Idea

  • 32 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

This man is not an animal.

The AP reports via the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Biker clubs say they’re unfairly thrown out of hotels, restaurants and stores because of how they dress.

But a Colorado bill that would ban businesses from discriminating against leather-clad motorcyclists faces long odds when it comes up for its first hearing Wednesday…

As proposed, the bill would not cover any unusual dress; just clothing that “indicates participation in motorcycling.” So businesses that ban athletic garb or restaurants with a coat requirement would not be affected.

The sponsor is a Denver Democrat who is challenging an incumbent Republican congressman. State Rep. Joe Miklosi says he is not proposing the measure to get attention but to help constituents who belong to biker clubs and say they are being singled out unfairly…

So folks, we have enough friends who occasionally exchange their boardroom uniforms for biker leather–those you often least suspect, in fact–that we’ve actually heard, more than once and well before Rep. Joe Miklosi proposed this kind of unfortunate bill, complaints about people dressed like bikers being denied motel rooms and other accommodations while on the road. This can happen even if none of that clothing signals membership in any kind of “1%er” outlaw motorcycle gang, which is of course the stated reason for businesses to refuse them service.

The thing is, with only very narrowly-defined exceptions for cases of ethnic, religious, or other truly bigoted discrimination, businesses should have the right to “refuse service to anyone.” And biker leather, we’re sorry to say, may not rise to a level worthy of protection over those private property rights: many lawyers who ride a Harley on the weekends will likely agree. We’ve seen some predictable attempts to make this more than it is, turning it into some kind of knowing defense by Rep. Miklosi of criminals or other such election-year nonsense.

That’s silly, but we maybe wouldn’t have carried this bill while running for Congress either.

Comments

32 thoughts on “Biker Discrimination Protection, Maybe Not The Greatest Idea

  1. The thing is, with only very narrowly-defined exceptions for true cases of ethnic, religious, or other truly bigoted discrimination, businesses should have the right to “refuse service to anyone.”

       Well put.  Successful business court a certain clientele.   I suspect Watercourse, Denver’s great vegetarian restaurant, would be on  solid grounds excluding clients who wore a meat dress!

      And certainly I would support banning anyone from a Restaurant who wore a pro-Rush Limbaugh poster.  It’s bad for the digestion!

  2. Well over a decade ago now, I did some work at the state house.  Every year the Utah Legislizzards would propose a helmet law…and every year when it came up, bikers would descend on the capitol in their ‘scary’ regalia to ‘lobby’ the good brethren.  It always worked, and no helmet law ever passed–in the years I was there, not sure what happened since.

    1. His last comments were about his failing health. If he’s alive, I hope his health has improved and if not, I hope he’s cranking Deep Purple on his Harley in heaven. Probably giving God a piece of his mind as we speak.  

    1. Sine Die this year?

      Come on people, just pass the fucking budget and go home. It’s an election year, remember?  You need to get out there pretty soon and start reminding people how indispensable and important to their well-being you are — somehow your constituents tend to forget that.  I can’t imagine why . . .  

  3. I am very disappointed.

    Yes, many of these folks are vets. I am a vet. Many convicts are also vets. Most vets do not engage in costuming themselves in fashion that includes swastikas and other stuff that is likely to cause a business to LOSE business

  4. He’s getting attention and, running against a military guy, he was probably looking for a way to say that he supports vets.  Also he’s not an effete latte sipping librul.  Look at the guys he’s standing up for.  Etc.

    A few more people have heard of him because of this. Maybe he’ll lose by a little bit less?

  5. And why just clothing? Suppose I show up at a motel dressed like Pee Wee Herman, but riding a bike straight out of American Choppers, and I get refused service? Mr. Miklosi, what about MY rights?

  6. Back when I was a young lady, living a different life style, I frequented bars that had a sign on the outside for bikers.

    “NO COLORS”

    Unless there is something in this bill to keep that sign valid, it is a bad bill.

  7. I suspected.

    http://www.coloradopeakpolitic

    What is it with Colorado Democrats running ridiculous and unneccesary bills in the state Legislature while simultaneously running for Congress? Last session it was Senate President Brandon Shaffer, running for CD4, who pushed a bill aimed at reducing supposed flower shop fraud. Now it’s state Rep. Joe Miklosi, running for CD6, cosponsoring a bill to help reduce supposed discrimination against biker gangs.

    Yes, you read that right. Joe Miklosi thinks discrimination against biker gangs is a such a pressing issue that he needs to spend valuable political capital on it.

    Or as Compass Colorado said today in a press release, as legislators are only allowed to introduce five bills per session that means that 20% of Miklosi’s legislative agenda is focusing on dress code, not job creation.

    We thought Miklosi and House Democrats were “laser-focused” on job creation. Guess not.

    “Instead of repealing burdensome regulations and unconstitutional tax increases, Joe Miklosi is concerned with the wardrobe malfunctions of biker gangs,” said Tyler Q. Houlton, president of Compass Colorado. “This ridiculous legislation makes it obvious that Colorado’s economic recovery is not a high priority for Joe Miklosi.”

    1. Are you one of the authors at Peak? Someone who writes the diaries that are posted under the “coloradopeakpolitics” handle? Because it’s pretty curious that someone who doesn’t post over there as “ArapaGOP” keeps pimping Peak over here.

      1. Who wants the conservative viewpoint over at this leftist blog is going to use CPP’s content. They are the conservative counterpoint to Colorado Pols, and they’re growing rapidly.

        I do not write under the coloradopeakpolitics handle, either here or there.

  8. Many bikers in Joe’s community? I’m all for fair treatment but this is one of those things where you can’t make sense of it.

  9. Instead of a bill focusing on jobs for Veterans Joe Miklosi comes up with this silly idea.

    Aurora has a huge gang problems and he wants to require restaurants to serve people wearing the colors of their gang,  Or, require a business owned by holocaust survivors to serve people wearing a swastika.  Joe is not ready for prime time.  

  10. To equate discrimination based on race, sex, sexual preference, religion or national origin with banning someone because he wears gang colors is crazy.  I cannot believe that three Democrats voted for this bill.  Joe is going to be hearing a lot about this bill between now and November

  11. I think Joe is going to be fine. He can tell the story about this bill in a way that won’t hurt him. If Joe loses CD-6, this won’t be the reason.

  12. Joe will just say he thinks its OK to force people to serve someone wearing a swastika or criminal gang colors.  That’s an easy idea to sell.

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