Indiana GOP is out of step
Mike Pence is going to end up changing his mind. If not immediately, then soon.
Pence, in happy lock-step with his backwards-looking Republican legislature, merrily signed the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” The bill codified discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people, and allows businesses to refuse service to people who might present a conflict with the business owner’s religious beliefs.
It’s a logical extension of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision which extended personhood to corporations and the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision recognizing a religious belief for companies and allowing those companies to make decisions based on those beliefs. As the thinking goes, individual persons are allowed to discriminate. And since corporations are now “persons” in the eyes of the law, those corporations should be allowed to discriminate, too. Apparently that thinking makes sense in Indiana.
Except it doesn’t make sense. While 19 other states have similar laws, those states expressly protect against discrimination against the LGBT community. Indiana offers no such protection.
Such anachronistic thinking still exists elsewhere in America – including in California. Thankfully, it is becoming more rare.
For instance, the Arizona legislature passed a similar law early last year, but Republican Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed it. There is a case before the Supreme Court testing the constitutionality of laws against same-sex marriage, but many prominent Republicans have signed letters in support of overturning the laws – including seven state governors, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and seven GOP congressmen. In California, the Republican Party has officially recognized the gay Log Cabin Club, and the vote wasn’t even close.
Clearly, momentum favors letting people decide for themselves how to live their lives. Except in Indiana’s legislature.
During a stumbling appearance Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week With George Stephanopolous,” Pence said the issue wasn’t discrimination, but government interference. Pence never said he did or did not support anti-gay discrimination, and said “tolerance is a two-way street.” Pence’s performance was so lacking in clarity that Indiana’s legislative leaders said Monday they would look to clarify the law. By Tuesday, Pence was saying he “wants it fixed.”
He might have been taking his cue from the state’s largest newspaper. The Indianapolis Star dedicated its entire front page Tuesday to an editorial demanding the governor and legislature “Fix This Now.”
The persuasive powers of outrage can be amazing. Hashtag #boycottIndiana was atop the Twitter trending list. Major corporations including Yelp, Apple, Angie’s List and Oracle along with the NBA and the NCAA have either called for the law to be repealed or decided against having conferences or events in the state.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray have called for city-funded travel to Indiana to be halted, and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said a clear anti-discrimination clause should be added to the law.
Pence, who is mulling a presidential bid, needs to change the law, fast. No one wants a president who panders to bigots.
This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Indiana GOP is out of step."