Indiana’s newly passed Religious Freedom Restoration Act has made national headlines as numerous activists, politicians, celebrities and business leaders have spoken out against the law, saying it encourages discrimination, especially against the gay and lesbian community.
In Indianapolis, Mayor Greg Ballard went as far as to issue an executive order affirming that any entity that receives city money has to comply with the city’s human rights ordinances which bans gay and lesbian discrimination.
The Carmel Center for the Performing Arts released a statement from President and CEO Tania Castroverde Moskalenko and Artistic Director Michael Feinstein. This comes after some musical acts, such as the rock band Wilco, canceled dates at venues in Indiana.
“The Center for the Performing Arts and the Great American Songbook Foundation in Carmel, Indiana are committed to diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination in all aspects of artistic and organizational activity,” the statement reads. “The performing arts have always been a haven for individual expression and it is our hope that all laws would reflect such freedoms for all people.”
Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard released a statement saying “you treat everybody the same” and reminded people of a 2009 executive order Brainard signed that prohibits discrimination in hiring of city employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“The legislature and the governor need to admit a mistake was made, do it quickly and fix it with a simple amendment that prohibits treating any one person differently than any other,” he said.
Brainard said that Carmel has more than 75 national and regional headquarters and he worries about how this law could make it harder for these companies to attract new employees.
“We have worked hard to make this state work with property tax caps and a good business environment,” he said. “Unfortunately, this law takes us backwards not forward.”
Regardless of what the law actually accomplishes, Brainard said it creates the wrong perception about Indiana and could negatively affect tourism as well.
“This law sends the wrong perception about Indiana. It neither represents the values of the state nor this city,” he said. “People from other states now have a misunderstanding and we need to fix that.”
City Council President Rick Sharp, who is running for mayor, said he hopes Gov. Mike Pence can take actions to fix the situation.
“I don’t know if I see the necessity of the law, but I am very happy that the governor and the legislature are going to take the steps – that they should have done in the beginning – and clarify that this law and affirm that discrimination isn’t allowed in Indiana,” he said.
Although some Republicans are social conservatives, Brainard said he doesn’t think the RFRA fits with his idea of what it means to be a conservative.
“We are Republicans and we believe in limited government,” he said. “Government should not be telling people how to live their lives.”
Sharp said he hopes that conventions and corporate leaders won’t use this law to have a bad opinion of Indiana. He said he doesn’t think the RFRA will change how people are treated when they come to visit Indiana.
“There’s no way to legislate out Hoosier Hospitality,” he said.
