"However unacceptable to you it may seem, some people are highly driven by the requirements of their religion. It is no more “fair” to force them to deny their faith than it is to force gay people to go straight."
I really do not see how it is that you do not get this. Some of the religious, through learned rote and belief, wish to discriminate against those of a different gender orientation, in this particular instance. They are perfectly at liberty, in the privacy of their own home, church, community or whatever to hold those views; But where those views essentially mean discriminating against members of the public by virtue of their sexuality/creed whatever the hell else their holy book tells them, thats where the line should be drawn. We live in secular, multi-faith democracies, where you are free to practice/believe whatever the hell you want, so long as you do not discriminate against someone else.
And religious tenets, no matter how deeply held, are learnt, interpreted, and debated even between members of the same faith;whereas someones sexuality or race is not, it is something they are borne with.
And if we allow christian fundamentalists to discriminate against gays, for instance, that means we open the door to muslim fundamentalists discriminating against- well, pretty much anyone not muslim - basically. None of you supporting this development in Arizona have even bothered to address that issue. How many of you whine about "Sharia Law" being introduced into the UK, unyet in the same breath mutter approvingly about another religious sect being allowed to discriminate because of their beliefs.
It is nonsensical; it is regressive; and it is a licence for sanctioned bigotry.