Tag: RFRA

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Indiana Pizzeria: We Would Turn Away Gay Wedding Customers

Crystal O’Connor of Memories Pizza

A Indiana pizzeria has gone on record as saying they would turn away gay or lesbian couples who would order pizza for their wedding reception.

(Who serves pizza at a wedding reception?)

The family-owned Memories Pizza, located in Walkerton, told a local news team Tuesday night that they would refuse service to a same-sex wedding.

“If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,” owner Crystal O’Connor told ABC 57. “We are a Christian establishment.”

She had been asked about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed by Governor Mike Pence (R) last week, which critics say would legitimize discrimination of the exact sort O’Connor described.

The family emphasized that they would not refuse service to gay couples who came into the pizzeria to eat, but would not cater same-sex weddings. “We’re not discriminating against anyone,” O’Connor said, “that’s just our belief, and anyone has the right to believe in anything.”

Her father added that the homosexual lifestyle was a “choice,” as he chose to be heterosexual. “Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?” he asked.

Conservative proponents of the current RFRA have repeatedly said not one business in Indiana has said they would turn gays away.

Well, now there is.

The restaurant apparently has a One-Star rating on Yelp.

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Indiana: New Language Could Specify RFRA Cannot Be Used As Defense Of Discrimination

The Indianapolis Star is reporting on new language that is being vetted to “clarify” the recently passed “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” which has caused turmoil in the state and across the country.

A copy of the language obtained by The Indianapolis Star was being presented to Gov. Mike Pence Wednesday morning. The measure would specify that the new religious freedom law cannot be used as a legal defense to discriminate against residents based on their sexual orientation.

The measure goes much further than a “preamble” that was proposed earlier in the week, explaining exactly what the RFRA law does. But it doesn’t go as far as establishing gays and lesbians as a protected class of citizens or repealing the law outright, both things that Republican leaders have said they could not support.

The clarification would say that the new “religious freedom” law does not authorize a provider – including businesses or individuals — to refuse to offer or provide its services, facilities, goods, or public accommodation to any member of the public based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Churches or other nonprofit religious organizations would be exempt from the language.

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Arkansas: Governor Asa Hutchinson Asks Lawmakers To Mirror Federal RFRA Law

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson held a press conference today to announce he’s sending the recently passed “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” back to the state legislature to insure the law mirrors the federal version of the law.

Yesterday, retail giant Walmart, whose corporate offices are located in Arkansas, asked the governor to veto the bill. Money talks, kids.

And speaking of kids, the governor’s own son signed a petition calling for a veto of the legislation.

Follow KATV for more details as the press conference progresses.

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Starbucks Opposes LGBT Discrimination

Starbucks would just like to remind you all:

“Everyone is welcome at Starbucks. Creating a culture of warmth and belonging is a core value of our company and we have been committed to diversity and inclusion since our earliest days.

“Starbucks joins with others opposing any state or federal legislation that permits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and encourages policymakers everywhere to embrace equality.”

(via press release)

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Arkansas Follows Indiana – Passes “License To Discriminate” Bill

Arkansas passed a religious freedom bill on Tuesday that is similar to an Indiana law that has faced national backlash for legalizing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Continue reading “Arkansas Follows Indiana – Passes “License To Discriminate” Bill”

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CNN’s Chris Cuomo Takes Down Indiana Hater – “Own Who And What You Are”

CNN’s Chris Cuomo does not suffer fools lightly. And he proved that once again this morning.

If you come on his show, you better know your stuff. Clearly, Ryan McCann was not prepared to be confronted with facts.

From Mediate:

New Day host Chris Cuomo, who’s become a one-man wrecking ball over Indiana’s just-passed “religious liberty” bill, confronted Ryan McCann, Policy Director of the Indiana Family Institute, Tuesday morning for his third contentious interview on the subject in the past 24 hours.

McCann argued that the bill only ensures protections for religious minorities, something Cuomo said was belied by the presence of anti-LGBT figures at the bill’s signing. McCann said that the statements Cuomo was alluding to had been passed around the internet “by the left.”

Things got personal when Cuomo demanded McCann account for the real motives behind the bill, which was supported by “groups like yours, that are Christian-based, with an animus toward the LGBT community. Own who and what you are. There’s nothing wrong with that you’re allowed to believe it but you’re not about native americans or people who want liver transplants, right?”

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Indiana: Gov. Mike Pence Blames “Sloppy Reporting” on State’s “Perception Problem”

Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana

At a Tuesday morning press conference, Gov. Pence announced plans to amend the law before the end of the week. He added the changes will clearly state that RFRA is about “religious liberty, not discrimination,” adding the the law does not give anyone the right to turn away customers on religious grounds.

The odd take-away from the press conference was that the Governor plans to “fix” a law that he claims is not broken.

Blaming the national media for “sloppy reporting,” a beleagured Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana admitted the state’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” has caused a huge headache for the state and a terrible “perception problem.”

Pence said he concluded that it is necessary to move legislation to amend the law to make it clear that it does not give businesses the right to deny services to anyone.

“This law does not give anyone the right to discriminate. This law does not give anyone the right to deny services,” said the governor.

“I don’t support discrimination against gays and lesbians or anyone else. I abhor discrimination.”

That being said, the governor indicated that adding sexual orientation to the state’s civil rights laws was not on the table right now.

Pence said he will work with the Indiana legislature this week to make the changes he is seeking to the RFRA law.

“We will fix this and we will move forward,” he said.

(source)

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Georgia: House Judiciary Committee Cancels Meeting For “Religious Liberty” Bill

A Georgia state House Judiciary committee meeting scheduled for Monday morning to further consider a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA) was abruptly cancelled last night.

With only two more days left in Georgia’s legislative session, it’s possible the cancellation was due, in part, to a disastrous appearance by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on ABC’s This Week.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The back-and-forth on the bill comes as Indiana deals with the backlash from adopting a similar law that has led to calls of boycotts and the potential loss of tens of millions of dollars in tourism and economic development. Indiana Gov. Mike Spence on Sunday told ABC News the law is not about discrimination but refused to say whether it would permit a business owner to refuse service to someone with whom they disagree.

In Georgia this past Thursday, in a surprise 9-8 vote, the Judiciary Committee voted to amend Senate Bill 129 to add language making clear the bill could not be used to discriminate against anyone already protected by any local, state or federal law. It was quickly tabled by supporters who said adding anti-discrimination language “gutted” the bill.

The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Brookhaven, who said at the time, “I take at face value the statements of the proponents that they do not intend discrimination with this bill but I also believe that if that is the case, we should state that expressly in the bill itself. That is what the amendment does.”

Perhaps Georgia doesn’t want to be the next Indiana.

RFRA legislation has become the new means to attack the LGBT community by conservatives who see the writing on the wall with the impending decision coming soon from SCOTUS on marriage equality.