Gov. Mike Pence called off public appearances Monday as lawmakers scrambled to quiet the firestorm over a new law that has much of the country portraying Indiana as a state of intolerance.
Republican legislative leaders said they are working on adding language to the religious objections law to make it clear that the measure does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. As signed by Pence last week, the measure prohibits state laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. The definition of "person" includes religious institutions, businesses and associations.
"What we had hoped for with the bill was a message of inclusion, inclusion of all religious beliefs," Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said. "What instead has come out is a message of exclusion, and that was not the intent."
The efforts fell flat with Democrats, who called for the law's repeal, and even some Republicans.
A crowd of at least 2,000 people, including Democratic elected officials, rallied outside the Indiana Statehouse against the state's new Religious Freedom Restoration Law. (Rick Callahan/Associated Press)
"They're scrambling to put a good face on a bad issue. What puzzles me is how this effort came to the top of the legislative agenda when clearly the business community doesn't support it," said Bill Oesterle, an aide to Republican former Gov. Mitch Daniels and CEO of consumer reporting agency Angie's List, which cancelled expansion plans in Indianapolis because of the law.
Some national gay-rights groups say the law is a way for lawmakers in Indiana and several others states where such bills have been proposed this year to essentially grant a state-sanctioned waiver for discrimination as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to mull the gay marriage question.
Repealing law isn't 'realistic'
Supporters of the law, including Pence, contend discrimination claims are overblown and insist the law will keep the government from compelling people to provide services they find objectionable on religious grounds.
But Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, said the law threatens to undermine the city's economic growth and reputation as a convention and tourism destination and called for lawmakers to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity to Indiana civil-rights laws.
"I call upon Governor Pence and the Indiana Legislature to fix this law. Either repeal it or pass a law that protects all who live, work and visit Indiana. And do so immediately. Indianapolis will not be defined by this," Ballard said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence cancelled public appearances Monday as his administration attempted to clarify language in a bill that critics have called anti-gay. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
After a two-hour private meeting of House Republicans, Bosma said Monday that repealing the law isn't "a realistic goal at this point."
"I'm looking for a surgical solution, and I think the least intrusive surgery is to clarify that (the law) cannot be used to support the denial of goods, facilities or services to any member of the public," he said.
Pence, who defended the law during a television appearance Sunday, cancelled scheduled appearances Monday night and Tuesday, in part because of planned protests.
In an essay published in The Wall Street Journal, Pence said "the law is not a `license to discriminate"' and reflects federal law.
Fallout intensifies
Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Long stressed that the new law is based on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which has been upheld by courts.
But the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights advocacy group, said it's disingenuous to compare the two laws.
The campaign's legal director, Sarah Warbelow, said the federal law was designed to ensure religious minorities were protected from laws passed by the federal government that might not have been intended to discriminate but had that effect.
The Indiana law, she said, allows individuals to invoke government action even when the government is not a party to a lawsuit. It also allows all businesses to assert religious beliefs regardless of whether they are actually religious organizations.
She said one of the best ways to fix the law would be to add language that explicitly says it cannot be used to undermine civil-rights laws.
Meanwhile, the fallout continued. The public-employee union known as AFSCME announced Monday it was cancelling a planned women's conference in Indianapolis this year because of the law. The band Wilco said it was cancelling a May performance. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent letters to more than a dozen Indiana businesses, urging them to relocate to a "welcoming place to people of all races, faiths and countries of origin."
As a similar bill advances in Arkansas, Warbelow said lawmakers need to take notice.
"We hope that the state legislature is paying attention ... and taking seriously that the whole world is looking at them," Warbelow said.
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