Indiana is one of 28 states in the nation which does not offer a state law protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Almost all major cities in Indiana, however, have passed local human rights ordinances covering sexual orientation and gender identity. Indianapolis enacted such a law more than a decade ago. Additionally, the federal Civil Rights Act extends no protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Proponents of an LGBT rights law claim the passage of the state's religious freedom law makes the state inhospitable to the LGBT community, although no such argument was made by LGBT rights organizations when a similar federal law and the majority of other states in the nation previously adopted similar laws.
UPDATE: Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued a statement attacking. today's decision by Senate Republican leaders not to move forward on SB 344. Calling the decision "disappointing," Hogsett said Indianapolis has "felt the multi-million dollar impact of this debate--in an effort to develop jobs, in our search for a talented workforce, and when we are soliciting national convention business." "By refusing to take this step forward toward equality this year, the General Assembly risks Indiana falling even more behind," he added.
Here's Senate President Pro Tem David Long's explanation for why a compromise could not be reached to allow this issue to move forward this year as reported by the Indianapolis Star:
Long blamed the death of the gay rights debate on the unwillingness to budge by both LGBT advocates and religious conservatives.
“This effort was unfortunately hampered by well-organized extreme messaging from groups representing both sides of this discussion, many of them from out of state,” Long said. “Neither of those sides were truly seeking a solution.”
Religious conservatives had objected to any extension of civil rights to LGBT people, saying it would protect someone’s sexuality above another person’s religious beliefs.
LGBT advocates had called for unequivocal civil rights protections for gay and transgender Hoosiers, protesting carve-outs for religious groups.
24 comments:
A day doesn't go by when there's not a story in the news about LGBT discrimination running rampant in Indiana. No, wait, that's not true. More like about 1 or 2 in the past 30 years. Meanwhile the homicide rate keeps going up.
Sorry Downtown Indy, but this is an issue that affects a lot of people. Everybody in the gay community knows people who have been fired or lost a job because a foreman or a landlord found out they were gay. Some people get fired from every job they get because of that issue. It can be tough to be gay in the factories and jobs outside the safety of the downtown hub. We get it. We accept that this bill won't come to a vote. We know Governor Pence would rather rub salt in an open wound than support an issue that helps gay people. But don't claim it doesn't happen that we are discriminated against. People trash us in church. In restaurants. On the street. Kids are bullied until they kill themselves. We are thrown out of our apartments, have our kids taken from us, get beat up by rowdy teenagers, and get fired by the idiot foreman who doesn't like queers.
Tea Party Empress Monica Boyer now is stating that she will back Mike Pence. She truly is a useless opportunist who we Tea Party Republicans should rid ourselves of.
Monica Boyer is self-appointed. Nobody put her in charge of the Tea Party in Indiana. The media gladly anoints her as its leader because she's an easy target to demonize and gives the entire movement a black eye. Gay bashing wasn't a part of the Tea Party's agenda, which was focused on economic, not social issues. That's her personal agenda.
I hear you Gary. She is a little thin skinned she will not take kindly to our criticism. I don't care though. If she wants to embarrass herself and impugn real Christian's, Conservatives, Republicans and single celled organisms. Between everyone here she deserves to be critiqued about it.
Well, piss on lying Joe and get used to this lightweight opining on matter way beyond his ken. Remind me sometime of the featherweight token he "ran" against? Still, the issues raised go way beyond what the Senate had been considering and the decision to think before acting seems very reasonable. It is quite inexpensive to print up Pence Must Go signs and any legislator unthinkingly supporting Sodomy could reasonably expect his name on signs like that. What, exactly, is transgendered? Does a person in 100 really know? We used to make decision trees like T accounts Pro and Con....but has anyone seen anything like that or is Senator Hershman correct in saying that invective poisoned the well?
We claim to be rational but we also claim to be civilized. We often forget that the heart has reasons the intellect does not reach (Pascal). I probably did not quote it exactly. The Legislature is commanded to act in and for the common good. The discernment of what that amounts to has always been that they are under the command of Divine Positive Laws. Lest one take fright, it seems like murder isn't something that can be legal. Adultery is a bad deal for society. I'm not sure I can remember all of the Divine Positive Laws but Judge Moore has a good talk on the matter which, curiously enough, provides grounds for all participants in this discussion...except for lying joe who needs to get his ass acquainted with truth telling.
Anon 6:06: I've hired, rented to & enjoyed more social time with gay people than I can count. People are bullied for any number of excuses. In a void of reason; hatred qua evil seeks transactional excuse; of which gay is only one category of excuse. Governor Pence is doing no such thing. People aren't bullies merely because they disagree with you. Bullies posturing themselves as victims has a passive / aggressive quality to it...
If someone fired you for illegitimate reasons- tell us who it was.
Its just a hateful, dangerous place for gays.
Monica Boyer is a hateful fake Christian and has sold out the Tea Party. She is also a traitor to her fellow Hoosiers. She is a weasel in sheep's clothing. Would say a wolf in sheep's clothing. But she is an insignificant, pitiful clown. Who is to small a person to excite even our contempt.
Gregg just won the election.
We all have our flaws and clay feet and Monica is no different. I think a previous poster captured it correctly, e.g. duh media anointed her as exemplar. Those lying bastards, Tiny Tim in particular, always seek to lie to us. In her case the lie is one of composition. That is, she is held up to be the exemplar of a position to be contrasted with some fat lesbian couple enthralled with the idea that their couplings are somehow related to the status of marriage. To be more clear, A&P used to have a policy at their meat counter. They promised that the side of meat you saw would be the bad side of the slice of meat. The other side of the meat would be the "best" side. So, duh Star reverses that honest policy by presenting the worse side of an issue (fundamentalist Christian of energy but lacking learning) with the best of the other side...a learned heretic conversant with exalted words, a winning smile, and Satan as his best friend. I hope we are smarter than that. Monica doesn't hate anyone.
To: 6:06 PM GMT-5
There are many attorneys who read this blog would love the opportunity to represent in a civil suite an employer that discriminates on being gay. $-signs are all over that one, besides, don't we have Federal laws that protect ALL individuals, it's called the constitution. Why do we need to waste our time in the legislature, and our Governors time, when this is a mute issue?
As I'm typing this, could the alternative lifestyle issue be a political slam to defeat Governor Pence this fall as a anti-Gay Governor? just saying!
The protesters just need to come to terms with the fact they poisoned the well last year. Politicians are not going to touch the issue because it's a no win all around. And since it only affects 3% of the population, it's essentially a non-issue. The 'gay community' is a rowboat on the radar that tries to look like an aircraft carrier.
As Pete Boggs points out, there's nothing unique to gays and how others react. Happens to the fat kid, the crippled kid, the senile old guy, the lady who wears spandex in Walmart. The difference is the incessant whining from this one small group that claims to be singled out and thinks it only happens to them.
A lot of people are upset. It may come back to haunt Pence when the next election for Governor kicks into high gear. Naysayers don't acknowledge any damage from this and rfra. But nobody is talking about Pence for national office anymore, and it wasn't that long ago he was bandied about as a possible vp. Even Republicans announce his future prospects severely damaged, if not over. And one wonders whether he will hold onto his governorship, and what level of national interest may present itself in getting him defeated. Pence upset a lot of people. He's very cavalier about it. But he only won his seat by three points. And now he's a national poster boy for haters. He won. But at what cost?
The gay community has simply lost all credibility on this issue. There's no widespread discrimination occurring here or really anywhere in the developed world. Yes, there are isolated cases but changing the law won't stop that. If we're going to be honest, the the only real vitriol in this debate is directed at Christians by the very same gay activists who whine incessantly about how tough it is to be them. They tend to project their own hatred on their enemies. I know it doesn't fit the meme but silence on this issue has gotten reasonable people nowhere, so if they want to fight without the gloves, so be it. I no longer care. I will never give up freedom of association willingly. I doubt I'll do it at the tip of a bayonet either, but I guess we'll have to wait and see about that. I have no doubt that that's where this is heading. I'd just caution those who so zealously attack others...the pendulum has historically swung both ways.
No bill at all is certainly better than a bad bill. I am tired at the drum beat of so called Christians who deal in the public sphere but demand a right to discriminate as they please.
And just think, this is all about baking a cake!
Monica Boyer is a useless pest who should just shut her yap!
Agreed 11:35. The Christians just want to be able to discriminate, which is not the high ground. The gays are just protecting themselves from the bully. Everybody under the age of 30 knows the gays are right. If we let the Christians win they'll be wanting to discriminate against everybody that offends their morals.
Anon 6:56 relies on common language, normative reference / baseline; in their fashionable use of the qualified term "alternative lifestyle." Alternative to what? Downtown Indy answered that question & won this debate championship; with an observation that LGBT has deliberately & discriminatorily excluded S...
There are federal laws and state laws on civil rights violations for all citizens. Why didn't the victims file lawsuits or complaints regarding their mistreatment?
I have heard and witnessed more hatred and name calling by members of the LGBT group and their supporters. The practice of Religious freedom is here to stay and will not be denied.
Name the businesses, landlords etc. who have discriminated against members of the LGBT community.
There have been plenty of things mentioned, Anon 7:54 PM, not to mention the other anons who say the same thing 7:54 PM said. You just refuse to listen to their stories. You prefer to stick your fingers in your ears and sing "La la la la la".
I agree that the bullies just don't want to admit to the bullying. Its just hazing, or pranks they say. If the crippled kids and the fats can take it why can't the gays. Its not an argument you can win because they just don't get it. It took armed national guardsmen holding back the haters to get those black kids into school. They couldn't be convinced by reason. It took the U.S. Supreme Court to tell the haters that gay people could marry despite their laws. This is the way change will come to Indiana, because the haters won't even acknowledge the problem. But sticking your head in the sand doesn't stop change.
Well Anon 8:58, you're right about bullying excused as "hazing" or "pranks." However, mutable characteristics of orientation don't compare with immutable characteristics of color; only as a politicized narrative of deception. Disagreement is hardly hatred. Marriage is a word of common language relying on normative reference- qualifiers are baselined therefore in common language or meaning rooted in tradition.
Yesterday, the "Present" visited a terror linked masque in Baltimore; where persecution of LGBT (not mere disagreement) is doctrine. That, might be more of a real world problem than the fashionable low fruit of hyper-contrived victimhood.
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