I don't think it was pro bono - I think if you were to peel it back you would find grants, awards and other ways Federal funds were channeled to those agitating for extra-Constitutional emanations and penumbras...
Yup.
And to be clear, I doubt we can count on the same level of judicial activism or support for RKBA as has been provided to some of the more leftist causes.
My point was that the homosexual crowd didn't settle merely for economic boycotts while respecting some right to discriminate in the public sphere. They didn't settle just for private educational and outreach efforts. They used all of these. And they enjoyed the benefit of a friendly media.
But they also relied on some rather strong language to denounce any depiction or description of homosexuality they thought was negative. They made their cause the current version of the 1960s civil rights and by both extension and explicit proclamation, any who opposed them the equivalent of white robed klansmen.
And they pushed for legal protections via the courts, legislatures, and popular referendum. The courts were the most friendly venue and so they concentrated their energies there once it was clear they were losing badly in the legislatures and among the populace on the issue of the definition of marriage. When taken in concert with other existing laws, those legal protections infringe on others private property rights, their rights to conduct business as they see fit, and are moving into threats against freedom of speech and of religion.
But the homosexual lobby has been gloriously successful in gaining both legal protections and dramatically increased social acceptance.
I guess the question we have to ask ourselves is are we RKBA advocates first and libertarians second? Or, are we libertarians first and RKBA advocates second?
Even if we don't want to ask or answer those questions, do we have to support criminal penalties for violation of private policies in businesses open to the public? Or should enforcement of private policies be a private matter?
I can tell you that in Utah we have no legal enforcement of private gun bans in businesses (other than trespass if someone disrupts business). There are very few businesses that bother posting and none that make any attempt to enforce with the exception of our NBA stadium that employs metal detectors for some events.
Employer gun bans for employees likewise enjoy no legal backing in Utah, but are ubiquitous just as they are nationwide. But we do have parking lot preemption so employees are not disarmed during their commute.
Charles