Today is a dark day in Indiana.  I've never been a huge fan of my home state but today takes the cake....

Posted by Amanda Terkel, HuffPost Gay Voices, 03/26/2015

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/indiana-governor-mike-pence-anti-gay-bill_n_6947472.html?ir=Gay+Voices&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000050

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed the religious freedom bill into law Thursday, despite concerns by LGBT advocates and business groups. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
WASHINGTON -- Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) quietly signed legislation Thursday that could legalize discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act would allow any individual or corporation to cite its religious beliefs as a defense when sued by a private party. But many opponents of the bill, which included business leaders, argued that it could open the door to widespread discrimination. Business owners who don't want to serve same-sex couples, for example, could now have legal protections to discriminate.

Op Comments:
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Today is a dark day in Indiana.  I've never been a huge fan of my home state but today takes the cake....
There are so many wonderful, accepting people here in Indiana and I really don't believe this reflects the wishes of the majority of the population here but it is what it is.

Slavery was justified religiously, too.
My money says it will be struck down by the courts.

I think you're right, this will go the same way of the same sex marriage ban once the supreme court weighs in.

What really gets me is how much money we will have wasted to fight it (both public and private), how many businesses and organizations (and there are a LOT that have already pledged to pull from the states' economy), and the black eye we've just been given by our elected officials nationally all thanks to the hatred in some people's hearts.

I'm just amazed that anyone actually thinks this way. 

Sad....  really sad....

Yes, I completely agree.  The Hoosiers are tarnished now.  As a Wolverines fan I have to tell you that I now despise the Hoosiers more than the Buckeyes....

With the conservative congress leading the charge, these bills will be wasting time and money across the USA for the near future.  And what really sucks is that the argument for the bills are dubious at best, and amount to nothing more than attempts to marginalize a group of people.  If you want to participate in the public marketplace then you cannot say I will not serve a person because of such a specious reason.  If it stands up, then they can use the religious cause to say that serving other races, or foreigners, or w/e the reason is against their religious beliefs.  Just hogwash, I say.

Quote from: AmazinglyAutumn on March 26, 2015, 03:19:14 PM
I think you're right, this will go the same way of the same sex marriage ban once the supreme court weighs in.

Autumn, I wish I had your optimism. The supreme court decision on same sex marriage is due later this year, and it will probably hinge on one guy's vote. He's weighing states rights against equal protection, two things he has spoken in favor of in the past. Who knows which he will choose?

This will be repealed as soon as a Muslim clerk refuses to sell someone beer on religious grounds.

Quote from: ainsley on March 26, 2015, 03:37:52 PM
Yes, I completely agree.  The Hoosiers are tarnished now.  As a Wolverines fan I have to tell you that I now despise the Hoosiers more than the Buckeyes....

Funny you should use college organizations as an example...  The NCAA, headquartered here in Indy, is one of the first to speak out against this.  From the local news here:

"NCAA President Mark Emmert issued a statement after the governor signed the bill.

"The NCAA national office and our members are deeply committed to providing an inclusive environment for all our events. We are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees. We will work diligently to assure student-athletes competing in, and visitors attending, next week's Men's Final Four in Indianapolis are not impacted negatively by this bill. Moving forward, we intend to closely examine the implications of this bill and how it might affect future events as well as our workforce." "

Haha, yep, I read that.  I am not surprised and that was one of the first things I thought about.  Even Ely Lilly & Co., Cummins, and others are strongly criticizing this farce of a religious freedom bill.  I still think it will be killed int he courts.

What the hell!!! And what were all those nuns doing standing around the governor smiling their faces off!!!

I feel hugely betrayed both in my faith and in my vocation as a religious sister.  More than ever I find myself not giving a damn if someone outs me to the Church because I firmly believe that God doesn't make mistakes and everyone of my trans brothers and sisters is a child of God.

Oooooo things like this annoy me.  It's going to take me a while to calm down about this 

Sad part the Supreme Court gave religion the power to do what ever they want. 

Giving the Hobby lobby the ruling has given religious super powers.

Guess we need to forum a transgender belief (being what religion is only a belief ) in religion of nature.

Same as the lgb part need to register as a religion. 

Look at the bill in California.  It will pass just like prop 8.

So much power over a belief.  Sigh!

It's one of the reasons why I want be here Miss Izzy.  Christianity was never supposed to be this awful judgemental and nasty thing which it seems to have become these days.  I've never been one to preach and it's not my way of doing things either, but I hope in some way to be able to offer help and comfort to anyone who is getting knocked around by someone's hash and judgemental brand of religion.

Human rights should always trump secondary rights of anyone.

Maybe we need a wall of shame? Somewhere LGBTQ can post names, address of places that claim there religious rights and then we can exercise our rights of not giving them any of our hard earned money.

I feel sick. it truly do.

Quote from: Jill F on March 26, 2015, 03:43:20 PM
This will be repealed as soon as a Muslim clerk refuses to sell someone beer on religious grounds.

Oh that will be so sweet to read in the news.  The kind of person who likes this legislation usually only likes freedom when it's their freedom.

"You must not be intolerant of my intolerance!" is all I hear when a person speaks like this.

Quote from: Abysha on March 26, 2015, 06:57:05 PM
Oh that will be so sweet to read in the news.  The kind of person who likes this legislation usually only likes freedom when it's their freedom.

"You must not be intolerant of my intolerance!" is all I hear when a person speaks like this.

Dontcha love it when they try to turn it around and play the victim card?  People don't choose their race, birthplace nor to be LGBT, but bigotry IS a choice.

By that logic, Afghan school girls should be more tolerant of the Taliban.

Something I was taught as a Franciscan was to see Christ in the eyes of everyone you meet, but in the face of such bigotry it gets so very hard sometimes.

I completely disagree with that law for using religion as an excuse not to deal with someone. The great thing that religion can be is not to judge someone whom you disagree with how they live but to INCLUDE those whom even non religious people look and snuff at. Exclusion leads to hate. Some people have non religious reason to exclude people, but using religion is a slap in the face to those of use who are religious. OP I hope this law get reverse, like many people here do.

This law makes me sad for so many reasons, but most of all, I have friends and family in Indiana.  And I'm going this weekend.  I was heartened to see one of my cousins, who I thought would be a tough nut to crack, put up an LGBT Ally post on Facebook today.  So something positive came out of this.  Indiana Christmas this year is going to be double interesting.

Quote from: AmazinglyAutumn on March 26, 2015, 03:19:14 PM
I think you're right, this will go the same way of the same sex marriage ban once the supreme court weighs in.

What really gets me is how much money we will have wasted to fight it (both public and private), how many businesses and organizations (and there are a LOT that have already pledged to pull from the states' economy), and the black eye we've just been given by our elected officials nationally all thanks to the hatred in some people's hearts.

I'm just amazed that anyone actually thinks this way. 

Sad....  really sad....

The only problem with looking at things from this perspective is that it will take 15 years and in the process cost many people their freedom, life savings and dignity before it makes it there. There is no guarantee either on a win. Hobby Lobby, the boy scouts and others are proof that sometimes you can't always get what you want. It all depends on the case and circumstances around relief for the people affected. This is why I cannot stand either the political left or the political right in this country. Both are equally dangerous to freedom and both would exhaust the nations treasury to fight their issues in court since neither side can win at the ballot box or in the arena of ideas and neither side would back down.

Audra McDonald Rips Indiana Governor Over Law

BY  Daniel Reynolds
March 26 2015 8:27

http://www.advocate.com/politics/2015/03/26/audra-mcdonald-rips-indiana-governor-over-law?team=social

Audra McDonald has one of the most beautiful voices in the world — and she's using it to speak out against antigay legislation.

The Broadway star sent a series of messages through Twitter to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, after he signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act Thursday morning.

As for the Muslim Clerk and alcohol, I've read several stories where stores have to have someone else ring up the alcohol because some Muslim clerks already refuse to ring it up.