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Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Senate Leader Vows To Hear GLBT Civil Rights Legislation Next Year
Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) confirmed yesterday the Senate will provide a hearing on proposed legislation adding protections to the state's civil rights law based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. He added the legislation would include "strong language" supporting religious freedom. “We’re trying to do our best to get a balanced piece of legislation,” Long said. “It will be comprehensive.” Long made the announcement during a speech before the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, which has made the issue a top priority during the upcoming legislation. House Speaker Brian Bosma says the debate will be one of the toughest issues of the session, if not his career, but he assured folks he will not be "blackmailed into a policy-making decision." How could Bosma be blackmailed? If Indiana adds the changes to its state's civil rights law, it will include protections that not event the federal Civil Rights Act currently covers.
Listen to corporate America and just do it. Lilly doesn't need religious freedom protections in its nondiscrimination policy. Neither does the State of Indiana. Listen to what your major Universities are saying. Just add these protections without making it the ultimately embarrassing State fight of the year. Must we air our dirty laundry? We have plenty of time before this vote. I beg the Republican leadership to line up their votes in favor well in advance, limit the hyperbole that will make national news, and just listen to our corporate partners. If this becomes another fierce public battle and we suffer the same type of embarrassment that happened during the rfra debacle, Mike Pence will lose reelection. Can't we just do this without setting our State up to be a laughing stock again.
ReplyDeleteGood Point, Gary, about Brian Bosma's silly bombast that "he will not be blackmailed". It is long past time for Brian Bosma to be put out of our misery by sending this old nag to the glue factory.
ReplyDeleteBrian Bosma is one of the poster boys for the problem known as Indiana Republican Politics.
http://indypolitics.org/2015/11/17/smith-expelled-from-senate-caucus/
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