Earlier this week it was disclosed that the state of Indiana had hired a PR firm and was expected to spend more than $2,ooo,000.00 to repair its damaged image of appearing anti-gay after Republican Gov. Mike Pence’s signed its very discriminatory Religious Freedom Restoration bill into law.
But even after suffering all the damage of the past few weeks today the Republican controlled Indiana House once again showed its anti-gay stripes and denied an attempt to extend protections for LGBT residents under the state’s non-discrimination laws in response to the uproar over the new religious objections law.
The proposal called for adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Indiana civil rights law covering education, employment and housing. Republican leaders say there isn’t enough time left in the legislative session to tackle such a policy change, and GOP members backed a ruling Tuesday that the proposal didn’t meet House rules for consideration. Senate Republicans on Tuesday also rejected a proposal to create a special committee to study the non-discrimination issue.
You can cover shit with candy sprinkles but it will still stink.
While it seems that some have been tricked by Pence into thinking that the fix will cover Indiana’s LGBT community. It does not. It only moves some LGBT Indianans back to where they originally were before. Second class citizens to a lesser degree albeit, but still second class citizens. And leave s the rest to the mercy of religious extremist.
But at lease some aren’t buying Pence’s sleight of hand.
Angie’s List, the Indiana-based business-review website that has been one of the most vocal critics of the law, reports the The Indianapolis Star.
“Our position is that this ‘fix’ is insufficient,” Angie’s List CEO Bill Oesterle said in a statement Thursday morning, reported by the Star. “There was no repeal of RFRA and no end to discrimination of homosexuals in Indiana.” And as s a result of the “insufficient” changes, Angie’s List is standing by its decision to cancel a planned expansion of its headquarters in Indianapolis.
Also the American Civil Liberties Union in a statement Thursday morning said: With these amendments, the RFRA cannot be used as a defense in some kinds of discrimination cases. (In the cities that have local protections) That’s a major improvement. But it still poses a risk that it can be used to deny rights to others, including in education, access to health care, and other aspects of people’s lives. While this is one piece of the solution, it is incomplete.”
This past week in Indiana was a watershed moment in LGBT history One that we should not waste. We must continue fighting for our rights and not settle for these crumbs. We must continue to fight and push for for full equality and civil rights protections. We cannot waste the momentum that we have gained this week and the good will of out allies who are helping us.
We must continue to fight. We must continue push. And we must continue boycotting Indiana until every LGBT citizen of that state and in America is protected and equal in the eyes of the law. This is not just about Indiana. This is about every state. We must PROVE that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we can and will win.
From Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council hate group via email blast:
Dear XXXX,We can’t take for granted our freedom of religion; the freedom to believe and to live according to those beliefs. Given to us by God, and recognized by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, religious freedom is crucial to the life of our democracy. If the government punishes people for living their faith, there are no limits to what government can control.
If religious freedom falls in one state, it is endangered everywhere. Where states and leaders advance religious liberty, we need to encourage them to stand. Please read the following petition in support of Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and if you agree, please join me in signing it. Those who stand for freedom need others to stand with them.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence recently signed into law a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that protects people who live their daily lives according to their faith against government discrimination. This law reflects polling that shows 81% of Americans support the freedom to live out one’s beliefs. The Indiana law is like the federal RFRA that was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and RFRAs in 19 other states.
Now, a leftist-driven movement has spread misinformation about the law, threatened boycotts and fomented false rhetoric in the media and online. Even in our day, the price of freedom is steep, and Governor Pence is standing strong for freedom despite the cost. Efforts are about to pressure Governor Pence to support changing or amending the law to weaken it. All Americans who live according to their religious beliefs should be free from fear of government punishment. I stand with Governor Pence in his support of religious freedom as stated in the Indiana RFRA, and urge him to oppose all efforts to change the law.
Laura Clawson over at The Daily Kos is reporting that the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), announced today that it is pulling its 2015 women’s conference out of Indianapolis calling it “an embarrassment” that ” cannot be tolerated”
Lee Saunders, the union’s president, said in a statement that “This un-American law allowing businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers sets Indiana and our nation back decades in the struggle for civil rights. It is an embarrassment and cannot be tolerated,” continuing:
“Throughout our proud history, our union has stood up whenever injustice has occurred – be it for striking sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968, or for the victims of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s. Governor Pence’s law, motivated by ultra-right wing zealots, is an affront to the vast majority of those in our nation who believe that every American deserves equal treatment under the law, no matter whom they love or where they worship.AFSCME will relocate our Women’s Conference to a state to be determined as a sign of our disgust and disappointment with Governor Pence’s discriminatory law. We stand with the ever-growing number of businesses and associations who are taking similar action this week and demanding fairness for all in the state of Indiana.”
Today Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a measure that allows businesses to turn away gay and lesbian customers in the name of “religious freedom.” The signing made Indiana the first state to enact the Jim Crow-esqe like law.
Pence who cowardly signed the bill into law it in a private ceremony in his office Thursday explained his decision to sign by stating that “The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action,”and that the law “ensures “religious liberty is fully protected under Indiana law.”
And Indiana is just the beginning eighteen others have similar measures on the books,
THIS MUST BE STOPPED NOW. INDIANA MUST BE MADE AN EXAMPLE AS TO STOP OTHERS STATES.
Back2Stonewall.com fully supports and asks that everyone #BoycottIndiana. We also ask that everyone do your bit to promote this boycott. Contact sports teams, businesses, upcoming conventions, musical acts, anything that produces revenue for the state. Ask them to cancel events and threaten the Governors and his GOP legislation that they will move and take their taxes with them. The only thing the GOP loves more than GOD is money. So let’s hit em where it hurts. And show thatm that hatred and bigotry WILL NOT be tolerated in any form.
#BoycottIndianna
Read Pence’s full of shit speech below:
Today I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, because I support the freedom of religion for every Hoosier of every faith. The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action. One need look no further than the recent litigation concerning the Affordable Care Act. A private business and our own University of Notre Dame had to file lawsuits challenging provisions that required them to offer insurance coverage in violation of their religious views. [snip]
This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it. In fact, it does not even apply to disputes between private parties unless government action is involved. For more than twenty years, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has never undermined our nation’s anti-discrimination laws, and it will not in Indiana. Indiana is rightly celebrated for the hospitality, generosity, tolerance, and values of our people, and that will never change. Faith and religion are important values to millions of Hoosiers and with the passage of this legislation, we ensure that Indiana will continue to be a place where we respect freedom of religion and make certain that government action will always be subject to the highest level of scrutiny that respects the religious beliefs of every Hoosier of every faith.”
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who’s yearly convention draws over 5000 attendee and has an economic impact of over $5 Million dollars for the city of Indianapolis are none too please with Indiana’s recently passed “Religious Freedom” licence to discriminate bill
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has sent a letter to Gov. Mike Pence threatening to cancel its 2017 convention in Indianapolis if he signs controversial legislation that could allow business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples. “Our perspective is that hate and bigotry wrapped in religious freedom is still hate and bigotry,” Todd Adams, the associate general minister and vice president of the Indianapolis-based denomination, told The Indianapolis Star. Adams said the Disciples of Christ would instead seek a host city that is “hospitable and welcome to all of our attendees.” The letter stated the church is inclusive of different races, ethnicities, ages, genders and sexual orientations. “As a Christian church,” it read, “we are particularly sensitive to the values of the One we follow – one who sat at (the) table with people from all walks of life, and loved them all. Our church is diverse in point of view, but we share a value for an open Lord’s Table.”
Finally, a NALT that really is “not all like that.” They have my respect and gratitude.
A BIG GAY THANK YOU TO The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Gen Con gaming convention has sent a letter to Indiana governor Mike Pence threatening to pull its convention, which brings almost 50 million dollars worth revenue to the state, out of Indianapolis should Pence sign a bill headed to his desk that would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBT people based on religious beliefs.
“Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state’s economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years…Gen Con proudly welcomes a diverse attendee base, made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds. “We are happy to provide an environment that welcomes all, and the wide-ranging diversity of our attendees has become a key element to the success and growth of our convention.”
Pence,has said that he is “looking forward” to signing the legislation and remains motivated to do so.
