Once upon a time in the United States, a business owner could turn away a patron because of the color of their skin. You’d think the U.S. would have learned from its shameful past, but it hasn’t. While most Americans believe restaurants shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate, some people, including the president of the United States, believe businesses should be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ citizens. While most of the country believes that American businesses need to be open to everyone, turning away no one for reasons they can’t control, the Republican Party disagrees.
Yelp will help you find a restaurant that is accessible, they’ll help you find ones that are quiet. Need a gender neutral bathroom? Yelp’s got you covered! Maybe you just want to find the best comfort food restaurant after you quit that diet. Yelp’s been a great tool for people looking for a place to eat. Now it can help you support businesses that actively take a stand against discrimination.
Since we’re on the verge of such discrimination becoming legal, a filter like this may be absolutely necessary for LGBTQ people to enjoy a meal or buy a cake. As if finding the perfect date spot wasn’t hard enough already.
Open to All Initiative
The Open to All Initiative wants to ensure no one can be denied service based on the conditions of their birth. They believe a person’s race, religion, gender, sex, nationality, or disability should not keep them from patronizing any business they choose. Sure, a business owner can kick someone out for being a terrible customer, harassing people, being too drunk, or being a Nazi, but they can’t kick someone out for something they can’t help. The initiative protects people’s right to go to any business open to the public. Businesses profit off of tax dollars, they make money because people can use roads and sidewalks to navigate to these places, they employ people who were educated by public schools, the benefit from a country made safe by our government and military. As such, they’ve benefitted a little from every American. The least they could do is welcome any person in America.
Yelp’s Part
Yelp didn’t start the open to all initiative, however, they—like over 1,200 businesses—are a partner. However, since Yelp can help identify businesses that participate, they’re in a unique position. Yelp can reward and incentivize inclusivity, using positivity reinforcement for non-discriminatory behavior.
Much in the way popular businesses can get a “People Love us on Yelp” sign, businesses that pledge to be open for all will be able to get a sticker saying so from Yelp. On top of that, users will be able to find these businesses in the Yelp app. Want to support the fight against discrimination? It’s easy! Just support your local business that has pledged to do the same. It’s a capitalistic solution for defending civil rights against parties that would rip them away, but it’s a great step in the right direction.
Ending Discrimination
Source: Caleb, Pershan, Eater