License to Discriminate laws
 

To be honest, I hate these damn laws. Bigotry at its finest against the LGBT community. Legalized discrimination.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottIndiana?src=tren

I hope that some of our GLO HQs that are in Indiana relocate to states that are more accepting and tolerant.

GenCon (a gaming convention) and other businesses are starting the ball rolling on taking their business elsewhere.

Don't even get me started about that evil and vile Sodomite Suppression Act in CA.

So basically (and correct me if I'm wrong), if someone owns a small grocery store, the owner can say "I can't serve you because you're gay"? That's the way that law comes off to me.

And looks what is going on in my state, California. "Kill the Gays"


“that any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification be put to death.”
California’s “Kill the Gays” initiative would also outlaw the distribution of “sodomistic propaganda.” McLaughlin suggests a fine of $1 million, imprisonment for up to 10 years, and permanent expulsion from the state for those who violate the proposed law.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1957768/cal...ys-initiative/

Well, that's the evil Sodomite Suppression Act. The CA Attorney General has petitioned the CA Supreme Court to stop the measure from becoming a ballot measure in 2016 on grounds that it is unconstitutional. Several CA Senators, and citizens, have also begun the process to have the CA Bar disbar the attorney that submitted the measure, citing moral and ethical reasons.

Still a step in the middle, needs *lots* of signatures on petitions. The CA AG is asking that it be stopped before the petition step...

Many local businesses here in Indiana are hanging up signs noting that everyone is welcome. I hope that people take advantage of this opportunity to support local business and support inclusion.

My hope for my home state is that its people are better than its politicians. It's a leap of faith I am willing to make.

That's disgusting. And the "sodomistic propaganda" Wtf, straight people have anal sex too, fyi.

Oklahoma's bill died after an amendment was passed requiring businesses to post prominent signs listing the people they are going to discriminate against.

This is the point some Hoosiers are making in social media posts. Exactly who do these business want to keep out because they are violating the business' religious rights? Also, a point being made: How does a business have a religious right? People, we get, but a business?

Today there were quite a few signs in local businesses in Indianapolis stating that the business there happily serves everyone.

AZ is prepping its own License to Discriminate bill. GA is also prepping one but I think they are having problems with it. Good.

But one of the AZ "senators" wants to make church attendance mandatory.

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/stat...08396517875713

So this year the Supreme Court is going to rule on same sex marriage, and States are doing this. I swear it's 2 steps forward, one step back.

Again??? One was passed already in AZ a year ago but Jan Brewer vetoed it. Maybe they think the new governor will sign it this time around.

Btw I can't wait for some WASPy woman to get thrown out of a store for not wearing a hijab or being escorted by a male relative :-)

The Hobby Lobby decision was the camel's nose under the tent...

But you're right, it was strictly limited to closely held corporations.

One business in Indiana already turns away LGBTs and will still turn away LGBTs.

https://twitter.com/thinkprogress/st...22748814635008

Isn't this hillbilly's 2 seconds of fame up yet?

https://twitter.com/msnbc/status/581976737799643136

Ad letting people know Indiana us great for bigots lol

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5LH2FVxrj4k

Damn. I was just going to post that.

Hell, I will post it anyway.

https://youtu.be/5LH2FVxrj4k

Here is a ever-growing list of the businesses that are or will be taking their staffs elsewhere instead of Indiana:

Gen-Con (calls to move this convention)
Salesforce
Angie's List
NCAA (calls to move the final Four)
Seattle and San Francisco (restrictions and/or travel bans by their mayors for state/employee business to IN)
Church pulls its convention from IN (sorry, I forgot which domination)


Any others?

I wish they could pack up and move next weekends final four. That'd be a quick message.

Any lawyers know if a suit will be brought against the law?

People realize that there are now twenty states with such a law, don't they? From the Washington Post: "19 states that have ‘religious freedom’ laws like Indiana’s that no one is boycotting"

For those not wishing to check out the map, the states are:

Alabama
Connecticut
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia

"Note: Arizona is included in the map of states with a Religious Freedom Restoration Act despite the veto of the controversial SB 1062 in 2014, because a RFRA bill was passed in 2012."

The 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom removed the Anglican church from being the official religion of the state and provided for religious freedom. It essentially established the separation of church and state.

Homosexuals may now marry in Virginia.

ETA: I realize that the above is not the same as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in
Virginia! It is being primarily applied to homeschoolers. Rights of homosexuals have actually been expanded.

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/va/200704230.asp

I've pondered this a lot this week. To me, the difference is the timing of most of those other states' laws, and the impetus behind the Indiana law. I've researched the would-be motives behind the Missouri law (which is about 12 years old), and it had nothing to do with local businesses or being allowed to refuse service to anyone. It was about how zoning laws impacted churches, and whether non-Christian religions were getting the same treatment as Christianity.

To the best of my knowledge (which, I'll admit, is limited since I have only spent a relatively small amount of time looking at this from a national perspective) Indiana is unique in its timing and its motives. 13 of those 19 at least have been in place over 10 years. Our society has changed a LOT in those 10 years, and LGBTQ rights is a hot topic now when it wasn't then.

Also, to the best of my knowledge (again, limited), no other states have been using their RFRAs to discriminate. They use them to prevent being discriminated against, which is a HUGE difference.

NSFW!!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cUA9m-g12ag

Hilarious response to the law, in song.

Overton Window...
 

One thing that I think has to be appreciated in this is that the following two ideas will poll significantly differently:
1) A Cake shop on the block can refuse to make a "congratulations on your marriage Bill and Mark" with two grooms on the top" and send them to the Cake shop down the block.
2) The only Grocery store for 50 miles in any direction can refuse to allow a gay man to shop there.

But while they poll differently, it would be pretty much impossible to write a law that would allow one, but not the other.

Indiana's law is notably different in that it extends the alleged protections to for-profit businesses. The others cover individuals and non-for-profit organizations. The Hobby Lobby decision at the SCOTUS level has cleared the path for this; now a for-profit business can have an exercise of religion. That's some serious bullshit.

That said, the law has very little support on the ground in many parts of the state, and rather than boycott Indiana, it would be nice if progressives in other states would support the progressives here rather than paint the entire state as evil.

This. My husband lives in Indiana, and there a lot of awful things being said about the entire state that just simply aren't true. Pence singing this bill made the perception of this state rewind.

This article from The Atlantic explains how this law is different from other states' religious freedom bills.

It's disgusting.

I'm half tempted to go to Indiana, go into an establishment where they won't serve members of the LGBT community, buy something (small - wouldn't want them to profit too much), and, as I walk out the door, toss a comment over my shoulder: "Oh, by the way, I'm a lesbian! Thanks for the coffee! <or whatever>"

When my husband and I fell in love, got engaged, and applied for our marriage license, we took it for granted that we'd get the license. It should be no different for same-sex couples.

Part of the problem with that is that a majority Republican Legislature and a Republican governor will be forced to act more quickly if many big business leave the state versus if they're voted out in the next election. It's almost a two-pronged approach. The sad part is that businesses leaving the state punishes primarily Indianapolis, and that there are real people in Indianapolis who may be told their office is relocating which doesn't always come with offers to relocate with the office or offers to telecommute.

Can this be challenged in court?

Pence clearly never learned that business and profit are often more important than religion. People care about beliefs but only to a point, causing major corporations to lose money isn't smart. Hobby Lobby is an outlier, not the norm.

While other states have gotten away with similar actions, clearly this was a tipping point. I'm ok with the world blasting Indiana over this and affecting real change because it will put the breaks on the people who I believe don't care nearly as much about religious freedom as they do about the almighty dollar. You can get a lot of people to come out to Chik-Fil-A in support of their bigotry, but you can't get anyone to attend a basketball tournament if the tournament committee won't allow the game to be held there. I think the biggest changes in our culture have been due to 3 things - the US military, sports and music. Those are pretty huge parts of our culture, and if bands won't play there and sporting events can't be held there (Uncle Sam has already gotten on board with doing the right thing, at least on paper), then the culture WILL change.

Now if we could just get the wing nuts to quit breeding we could let these attitudes die off in a generation or so.

True. Pence is already backing off, and asked for some changes today.

Arkansas Bill Headed to Gov. Hutchinson for Signature

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arkansas...-freedom-bill/

Reportedly the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce – and other entities – have stated opposition to the bill.

Wal-Mart has issued a statement opposing the law also.

Tonight, I'm never more proud to be a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha.

http://www.lambdachi.org/blog/candc/...tion-act-rfra/

Have any other GLOs issued statements regarding that law, even if they do not have their HQs in IN?

Some sports figures who will be involved in showing opposition to the Indiana law are mentioned :

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gay-a...ry?id=30031564

This is in line with something DubaiSis said:

Now, it is Arkansas' turn:

https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottArkansas?src=tren

Here's my question. Who introduced this bill in the Indiana legislature? Which Indiana legislators voted for it? Did they vote for it because there was a public referendum for them to do so?

Because unless this bill was favored by most of the population of the state, I really don't understand why people or corporations think boycotting is the answer. None of those politicians are going to be immediately affected - the guy selling popcorn in the stands at the NCAA game is.

Hey, everybody, do you recall that Arkansas' governor, Asa Hutchinson, said repeatedly that he would sign the bill the state legislature passed? Reportedly, his office on Tuesday said he'd sign it?

Well, forget those statements / promises, whatever you want to call them. He has somehow or other discovered that the bill needs some work. I guess this is what you'd call a road-to-Damascus moment for him. There's a new statement out :

http://www.timesunion.com/news/us/ar...us-6172669.php

Folks, I personally heart politicians with loudly stated convictions that can change so fast it'd make your head spin.

To be serious, I truly appreciate what Wal-Mart, Apple, Gap (which includes Banana Republic and Old Navy), the NACAA, and on and on, have said and done on this issue.

I have to say, when Wal-Mart which is arguably the worst corporation in our country, comes out against something like this it's time to give up and go home.

There was a great interview on MSNBC today with a woman from the American Family Association, she said that the CEO of Apple is "not smart" and just repeatedly put her foot in her mouth.