5 Lessons from the Indiana 'Religious Freedom' Law Debate - U.S. News & World Report
After a week of intense scrutiny, lawmakers in Indiana and Arkansas settled on measures to make clear they never intended for religious freedom legislation to result in discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Leaders in Indiana’s statehouse announced Thursday a legislative “fix” to a religious freedom law signed by Gov. Mike Pence last week that would make explicit it could not be used to justify refusals to provide services to LGBT people. While much attention has been paid to the expansion of legal same-sex marriage in recent months, looming in the background was the call to protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing, education and public services. Congressional lawmakers have battled over a federal ban on employment discrimination based on sexual orientation for more than 40 years, adding gender identity to the desired protections in 2007. More than half the states lack such legislation. The debate over Indiana’s religious freedom law put the question of whether a business should be allowed to refuse services to gay couples into focus, even as Pence attempted to dodge it in an ABC News interview over the weekend. While state politicians now thrust into the national spotlight say that was never the law’s intent, its timing , statements made by the bill’s supporters and its legislative history suggest otherwise. Source: www.usnews.com
