The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), will enable discrimination in Indiana by making it harder for people to find legal relief when their practice or existence offends someone's religious sensibilities. Such discrimination could occur in transactions ranging from shopping to real estate transactions to service in restaurants to medical care. It creates a de facto class of citizenship where some may be deemed less equal in the eyes of the law. At the very least, it provides a basis to prohibit legal redress of grievances by individuals and companies that depend on infrastructure paid for by tax dollars that come from the people that may be harmed by this bill.
When Governor Pence of Indiana signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), aka SB 101, he demonstrated either a lack or political and legal acumen bordering on naivete or an intentional hypocrisy.
In support of the first case, he said, "This bill is not about discrimination and if I thought it legalized discrimination I would have vetoed it." Either he and/or his advisors failed to read the bill, failed to understand it, or they failed to imagine how it could be employed to protect the privilege that some people want to maintain at the expense of others. They have demonstrated a failure to do their job, a failure of competence, or a failure of leadership. Unfortunately, these are the best case scenarios.
The other possibility is that the government willfully chose to set the well being and comfort of a vocal group above the separation of church and state, the principle that all men are created equal, and the well being of the citizens and visitors to their state. They have damaged the ability of people to trust that they will be treated fairly in their state. They have allowed that people may be publicly humiliated by entering an establishment only to be refused service for the owner's assumption and bigotry.
I assume the worst case scenario because that's what the fundamentalist and evangical conservative movement has taught. They are willing to inhibit or eliminate the inalienable rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of their judgment and insistence that I live according to their morality contrary to my free will.
I'm going to boycott Indiana. I will give no money to companies that are based there until this offensive bill is repealed or modified to preclude protection for discriminatory behavior. Please join me.
