Twenty-one states have enacted legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of one's sexuality, and Alaska has been grappling with the same question since 2008 when similar legislation failed.
On Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly expanded antidiscrimination protections in the city.
A broad social question exists about how to balance equality with religious freedom. Should we allow individuals or businesses the right to refuse services to members of the LGBT community on the grounds of religious freedom?
A public debate on just that issue took place at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub in Anchorage Wednesday evening, co-sponsored by the UAA Seawolf Debate Team and Alaska Dispatch News.
The issue: "Individuals and organizations ought to be free to refuse service to patrons on the basis of religious objection."
Pro: Jim Minnery, president of the Alaska Family Council, and Bernadette Wilson, host of KFQD's "Bernadette Live."
Con: Josh Decker, executive director of ACLU Alaska and the Rev. Martin Eldred, Joy Lutheran Church.