Indiana Is Threatening LGBT Rights Before the Supreme Court Takes Up Gay Marriage

A few hours ago, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law a bill that could allow the state's businesses to refuse services to gay, lesbian and transgender customers. The governor's signature comes after organizers of a large tabletop gaming convention threatened a boycott and NCAA officials said they were "examining the bill," which presumably didn't jibe with the college sports association's ethos of inclusiveness. Organizers of Gen Con, the gaming convention, say their event brings a $50 million boost to Indiana each year, and the NCAA's Final Four games will bring an untold number of millions as well.

Although there are similar laws on the books in 19 states, those were passed in a bygone era, long before the Supreme Court was set to take up the issue of gay marriage and maybe even make it the law of the land. In anticipation of their worst fears being realized, conservatives are apparently pulling all out the stops to make life miserable for the LGBT community.

Supporters are saying that the law in Indiana specifically aims to protect business owners from providing wedding-related services, among other things, to same-sex couples by giving them a "religious freedom"exemption. But that's just an excuse state Republicans are using to pass blatantly discriminatory laws in a country where the majority of likely voters approve of gay marriage.

Recently passed measures in Arkansas and Tennessee were branded as anti-anti-discrimination laws, which is to say their purpose is to prevent protective laws from emerging in the future. In an even trickier maneuver, Utah passed an anti-discrimination bill earlier this month with the support of Mormon leaders that included protections for religious people. Essentially, while gays were nominally protected, Mormons were also protected from providing them goods and services.

Indiana's law was also passed under divine auspices. "The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion, but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action," Governor Pence said in a statement.

But even though SB101 is also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, not all Christians agree with its premise. On Wednesday, leaders from the Disciples of Christ suggested that if the bill was passed, they would reconsider hosting an assembly in Indiana two years from now.

Of course, liberals are condemning this law as hate by a different name.

"By signing this blatantly discriminatory bill that will only drive business out of his state, Pence reminds every Hoosier and every American that the Republican Party is more focused on its ideological social agenda than it is on expanding opportunity for the middle class and growing our economy," Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Ray Buckley said in a statement.

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