Resolved: Cities should deny Chick-Fil-A from expanding their franchise into their perimeter.

In this debate, I affirm the resolution and stand on the PRO. Thesis: The freedom of speech can be limited (philosophically) in circumstances where its exercise causes harm to society or inhibits democracy. Because Chick-Fil-A's stance on gay rights issues brings an obstruction to the establishment of justice and detriments a minority in the community, cities not only have the permissibility but the obligation to deny the restaurant franchise. Contention 1: The freedom of speech can be limited in certain scenarios.Free speech is the overarching subject of controversy in the debate for cities denying Chick-Fil-A expansion of franchise because the decision for which cities wish to deny construction lisences is because of Chick-Fil-A's acceptance of Christian principles, including ones that are explicitly anti-gay in nature. Freedom of speech lies in a philosophical plane because of its nature, and it can be inhibitted if it causes harm to society or inhibits democracy. Sub-point 1a: Democractic principle provides a limitation to the freedom of speech.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains: "To argue the case above, one has to dilute one's support for freedom of expression in favor of other principles, such as equal respect for all citizens. This is a sensible approach according to Stanley Fish. He suggests that the task we face is not to arrive at hard and fast principles that govern all speech. Instead, we have to find a workable compromise that gives due weight to a variety of values. Supporters of this view will tend to remind us that when we are discussing free speech, we are not dealing with speech in isolation; what we are doing is comparing free speech with some other good. For instance, we have to decide whether it is better to place a higher value on speech than on the value of privacy, security, equality, or the prevention of harm. I suggested early in this essay that to begin from a principle of unregulated speech is to start from a place that itself needs to be vigorously defended rather than simply assumed. Stanley Fish is of a similar temperament and suggests that we need to find a balance in which “we must consider in every case what is at stake and what are the risks and gains of alternative courses of action” (1994, 111). Is speech promoting or undermining our basic values? “If you don't ask this question, or some version of it, but just say that speech is speech and that's it, you are mystifying—presenting as an arbitrary and untheorized fiat—a policy that will seem whimsical or worse to those whose interests it harms or dismisses” (1994, 123). In other words, there have to be reasons behind the argument to allow speech; we cannot simply say that the First Amendment says it is so, therefore it must be so. The task is not to come up with a principle that always favors expression, but rather, to decide what is good speech and what is bad speech." [1]Sub-point 1b: Constitutionally, the freedom of speech is limited. " Along with fighting words, speech might be unprotected if it either intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly inflicts severe emotional distress.[32] However, such a rule (which has never been explicitly decided) would be limited to private figures. The Court held in Hustler v. Falwell (1988) that satire which could be seen as offensive to a "public figure" is fully protected." [2] Contention 2: The expressions of Chick-Fil-A exceed the limitations of free speech.Chick-Fil-A aids to underminining the essential rights of homosexuals through their support of anti-gay organizations that stand adamantly against same-sex marriage and other gay rights issues. In addition, the message the organization spreads and the justification for it is mainstream in the ideology that causes negative effects in the gay community. Sub-point 2a: Denial of gay rights creates second-class citizens.The systematic discrimination of gays via denial to recognize their rights designates gay people as second-class citizens of inferior status. Because of this treatment, they fit the qualifications of what is characterized as the second-class citizen:A person considered inferior in status or rights in comparison with some others (The American Heritage Dictionary)a person whose rights and opportunities are treated as less important than those of other people in the same society (Collins English Dictionary)Sub-point 2b: Denial of gay rights causes negative social effects.The CDC speaks on the effects of the denial of gay rights and equal recognition: " Negative attitudes about homosexuality can lead to rejection by friends and family, discriminatory acts and violence that harm specific individuals, and laws and policies that adversely affect the lives of many people; this can have damaging effects on the health of MSM and other sexual minorities. Homophobia, stigma and discrimination can: Limit MSM's ability to access high quality health care that is responsive to health issues of MSM Affect income, employment status, and the ability to get and keep health insurance Contribute to poor mental health and unhealthy behaviors, such as substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and suicide attempts Affect MSM's ability to establish and maintain long-term same-sex relationships that reduce HIV & STD risk Make it difficult for some MSM to be open about same-sex behaviors with others, which can increase stress, limit social support, and negatively affect health The effects of homophobia, stigma and discrimination can be especially hard on adolescents and young adults. Young MSM and other sexual minorities are at increased risk of being bullied in school. They are also at risk of being rejected by their families and, as a result, are at increased risk of homelessness. A study published in 2009 compared gay, lesbian, and bisexual young adults who experienced strong rejection from their families with their peers who had more supportive families. The researchers found that those who experienced stronger rejection were: 8.4 times more likely to have tried to commit suicide 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs 3.4 times more likely to have risky sex [1] http://plato.stanford.edu...;[2] http://en.wikipedia.org...