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On Thursday March 26, 2015,
Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law a “religious freedom” bill. It was
signed “in private”, except for the 70-80 bigots invited to the ceremony. This
bill is no more than pathetically disguised, legally sanctioned discrimination.
Such laws came about after the US Supreme Court decided in 1997 that the Federal Religious
Freedom Restoration Act didn't apply to state & federal governments. Well
couldn't have that, so state and local level bigots passed their own versions.
With a straight (no pun
intended) face: "This bill is not about discrimination," Pence said,
"and if I thought it legalized discrimination I would have vetoed
it." Well, Mike, it is about discrimination and to deny
it makes you look like a big, f’ing fool.
Having attended Indiana University, I know native Hoosiers who
are horrified and embarrassed by this new law. As well they should be. The
times are a’changing, Mike, and your efforts to fight the tide of equality for
gay people will come back and bite you and the State of Indiana in the ass.
A digest of the bill:
The full text of the bill:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/27/text-indianas-religious-freedom-law/70539772/
The full story from the
Indianapolis Star:
Gov. Mike Pence signs 'religious freedom' bill in
private
The nation's latest
legislative battle over religious freedom and gay rights came to a close
Thursday when Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a controversial "religious
freedom" bill into law.
His action followed two days
of intense pressure from opponents — including technology company executives
and convention organizers — who fear the measure could allow discrimination,
particularly against gays and lesbians.
Pence and leaders of the
Republican-controlled General Assembly called those concerns a
"misunderstanding."
"This bill is not about
discrimination," Pence said, "and if I thought it legalized
discrimination I would have vetoed it."
Senate Bill 101 prohibits
state or local governments from substantially burdening a person's ability to
exercise their religion — unless the government can show that it has a
compelling interest and that the action is the least-restrictive means of
achieving it. It takes effect July 1.
Although the bill does not
mention sexual orientation, opponents fear it could allow business owners to
deny services to gays and lesbians for religious reasons.
Pence signed the bill during
a private ceremony in his Statehouse office just before 10 a.m. Thursday. He
was joined by supportive lawmakers, Franciscan monks and nuns, orthodox Jews,
and some of the state's most powerful lobbyists on conservative social issues.
The event was closed to the
public and the press.
The bill signing makes Indiana the 20th state
in the nation to adopt such legislation. It is modeled on the federal Religious
Freedom Restoration Act, which President Bill Clinton signed in 1993.
But the timing of the measure
has colored the debate in Indiana.
Social conservatives have
pushed hard for such measures across the country following recent federal court
rulings that legalized same-sex marriage in Indiana and other states.
Many in Indiana also see the legislation as a
reaction to last year's unsuccessful push to enshrine a same-sex marriage ban
in the state's constitution.
Three of the lobbyists who
pushed hardest for last year's gay marriage ban — Micah Clark of the American
Family Association of Indiana, Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute and
Eric Miller of Advance America — were among the 70 to 80 guests invited to the
private bill signing.
"It is vitally important
to protect religious freedom in Indiana,"
Miller said in a statement after the bill signing. "It was therefore
important to pass Senate Bill 101 in 2015 in order to help protect churches,
Christian businesses and individuals from those who want to punish them because
of their Biblical beliefs!"
Socially conservative
advocacy groups were joined by the Catholic Church, Indiana Right to Life, and
many evangelical Christians in supporting the measure.
But Pence rejected
suggestions that SB 101 was a consolation prize for conservative advocacy
groups who failed to pass the gay marriage ban last year.
"I think that is
inaccurate," he said. "This was overdue."
The issue has struck a chord
with Hoosiers and those outside the state, capturing the attention of
celebrities and national and international news outlets.
Colts punter Pat McAfee,
novelist John Green, television personality Montel Williams, and Star Trek actor
George Takei all expressed opposition to the measure.
And so many calls flooded the
governor's office that the phone system was temporarily overwhelmed.
Shortly after Pence signed
the bill, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced he would no longer send employees
or customers to Indiana.
"Today we are canceling
all programs that require our customers/employees to travel to Indiana to face
discrimination," he tweeted.
The NCAA, which is holding
the Final Four men's basketball tournament in Indianapolis next week, also expressed
concerns. NCAA President Mark Emmert said the Indianapolis-based group would
examine "how it might affect future events as well as our workforce."
And earlier in the week, the
city's largest convention, Gen Con, threatened to take its 56,000 attendees to
another state when its contract with the Indiana Convention Center
expires in 2020. (However, in a letter to frequent convention-goers on Thursday
the group said it had been reassured by many in the Indianapolis business community that all
attendees would be welcomed warmly.)
The Disciples of Christ, a
Christian denomination with about 6,000 annual convention attendees, also
threatened to look elsewhere.
Pence said at a news
conference after the bill signing that he would speak to executives and event
organizers who are concerned about the measure.
"I'll call them. I'll
talk to them," he said. "This is not about legalizing
discrimination."
He emphasized that in other
states with similar laws, discrimination against gays and lesbians has not been
permitted.
In a radio interview later in
the day, Pence blamed national outrage over the law on the media.
"If you read the bill
instead of reading the papers, you would see that the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act, which is now law in Indiana,
is simply about giving the courts guidance and establishing the same standards
that have existed at the federal level for more than 20 years," Pence
said. "I understand the concerns that have been raised by some, because
frankly, some in the media have tried to make this about one issue or
another."
Democrats in the General
Assembly tried several times to add language to the measure that would have
provided explicit protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation,
but those efforts were rebuffed.
When asked Thursday whether
sexual orientation should be a protected class, the governor answered that the
matter was not on his agenda.
Senate Minority Leader Tim
Lanane, a Democrat, slammed the governor and the Republican-controlled legislature
for supporting the bill.
"Although not
unexpected, it is still extremely disappointing that Governor Pence endorses
this out-of-touch, discriminatory legislation," said Senate Minority
Leader Tim Lanane in a statement. "Not only is this law unnecessary, it
unfortunately has already portrayed our state as intolerant, unfriendly, and
backwards; things which I believe most Hoosiers reject."
Pence said his primary
concern was for religious believers who feel their liberty is endangered.
"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," he said.
He cited as an example the
University of Notre Dame's objection to a provision of the Affordable Care Act
requiring insurance coverage for contraceptives.
Concerns about assaults on
religious freedom were echoed by other supporters.
"Religious freedom is
increasingly under attack in our nation," said Mike Fichter, president of
Indiana Right to Life. "RFRA is an important bill to protect the religious
freedom of Hoosiers who believe the right to life comes from God, not
government."
[Ed. Note: Indiana is the 19th state with such a law:
Alabama (state constitution amendment), Connecticut, Florida, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia. Georgia’s
bill is in committee where it was amended to “expressly state that eradicating
discrimination is a compelling government interest, thus prohibiting religious
freedom being used as a justification for discrimination.” http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/03/27/georgia-house-committee-amends-religious-freedom-bill/]
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