Many react to Indiana's new "religious freedom" law

Sarah Kebea
Editors-in-Chief

Indiana amended its new “religious freedom” law on April 2.  The amended law now clarifies that it does not specifically allow businesses to refuse to serve LGBTQ customers.  The original law states that Indiana will allow discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the state.  The governor of Indiana, Mike Pence stated in a recent press conference that he was “optimistic” about Indiana’s future, but many of the national community think differently.

Indiana’s newest law has sparked reactions all over the globe, from some of the biggest names in music to small screen stars.  At a recent concert of hers in Indianapolis, Rihanna shared her negative feeling with the crowd about Indiana’s law.  Donald Faison and Zach Braff, actors most known for their main roles in hit show Scrubs vowed via Twitter to help cater, “If you really and truly want pizza for your gay wedding in Indiana…We will make it for you.”  Donald Faison and Zach Braff were reacting to the incident involving Memories Pizza, a pizza restaurant located in Walkerton, Indiana, that refused to provide pizza for same-sex weddings after the law was put in place. 

This controversial law is affecting not only politics, but sports.  Connecticut governor, Dannel Malloy signed an executive order on March 30 banning state spending on travel to Indiana.  Malloy does not wish to support Indiana in any way until this law is compromised.  Kevin Ollie, coach of the UConn men’s basketball team, did not attend the men’s Final Four due to this ban.  An article on Huffington Post states that “Malloy left the decision to travel to the Final Four up to Ollie and the university…”  The university had already paid for much of the trip when Ollie decided to not attend, supporting Malloy’s ban.  The University of Connecticut (UConn) women’s basketball team will not be able to head to Indianapolis for the 2016 Final Four, if they qualify this year.

Indiana isn’t the only state on board with a “religious freedom” law.  Arkansas followed behind Indiana’s newest law when Arkansas governor signed a “religious freedom” measure on Thursday.  After signing the bill, Hutchinson stated he thought it was “…sending the right signal…”, stirring social media around even more.

With the new laws, the states separate themselves from America’s gay rights movement.  Every day, American citizens are becoming more aware and accepting of LGBTQ rights.  Many believe now that the new laws are in place, Indiana’s and Arkansas’ tourism industry will have trouble bouncing back from the backlash.  Chris Gahl, president of Visit Indy, received more than 800 emails from potential tourists stating their cancellation of trips to Indianapolis.  The tourism industry of the states will not be the only industry affected with the new laws.  The hospitality industry will also be affected, mainly for the new law allowing businesses (including restaurants) to refuse to serve LGBTQ customers.  Overall, Indiana and Arkansas will have trouble bouncing back from the law’s backlash, and compromise might be the only option for the states.