George Takei has argued that despite Indiana lawmakers amending the state’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), there is still a long way to go.

The amendment, which passed the state House by a vote of 66-30 and the state Senate by a vote of 34-16, explicitly bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity – the first time both terms have ever been mentioned in Indiana law.

However, the amendments to the law do not apply to schools or churches in the state.

During an appearance on global news programme Democracy Now, Takei insisted that despite changes being a step in the ‘right direction,’ there are still areas of the law in Indiana that legally permit LGBT people to be discriminated against.

‘It seems to be going in the right direction and I hope they continue to move in that direction,’ said Takei. ‘What needs to be done still is there is no protection for LGBT people. Currently in Indiana, LGBT people can be fired with impunity, so that’s the next step.’

He continued: ‘I admire Pope Francis, who went from the Vatican to wash the feet of the non-believers. That’s the kind of society I call truly inclusive. There should be no civil law that protects hurting other people or ruins the most enjoyable moment in people’s lives.’

The actor went on to criticise those trying to blur the lines between church and state, adding that society needs to ’embrace diversity’ in order to succeed.

‘Religion should be something that is embracing of people. We need to embrace the diversity of our society. For any one faith to try and write their faith values into civil law is going against the grain of our democracy.’