opinion

Tully: For Indiana, the damage done by RFRA continues

As it turns out, we can't wish RFRA away.

The state legislature, which recently concluded its disaster of a session, can't hide from the mess it left behind. Neither can the governor, even as he spends a few days traveling in China.

No, the damage done by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act lives on. And it's costing Indiana in ways critical to its economy.

If you doubt that, consider a recent email Indiana State Fair Commission executive director Cindy Hoye sent to local convention, business, political and community leaders. In the email, Hoye noted with disappointment that Indianapolis recently lost out on a bid to become the 2018 and 2019 convention host for the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. That organization bills its massive four-day convention as the nation's "largest event serving fairs, shows, exhibitions, and expositions."

It's the kind of event Downtown Indianapolis has been built on. The kind that brings the city a flood of visitors on expense accounts. The kind that fills restaurants, hotel rooms and museums. By all measures, it's a great event. But it won't be coming here. And neither will its 4,500 attendees or estimated $5 million in economic impact.

"The IAFE Board was presented pros and cons about each destination," Hoye wrote. "RFRA was listed as a negative to choosing Indy and the IAFE Board voted to take their convention to San Antonio. … More work must continue."

Indeed.

The bottom line is that damage done by RFRA will live on until Statehouse Republicans, including the governor, accept the reality that Indiana needs to expand its civil rights laws to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It's really that simple.

The law is necessary for many reasons. Most fundamentally: It's right. It's just. It's fair. It's American in spirit. And it's overdue. But it's also needed because the stain of RFRA is hurting Indiana's bottom line, and we need something big to erase it.

So what about that "RFRA fix" the legislature passed in a moment of desperation last month? Sure, it eased the pain and calmed the controversy. I praised it then, and I support it now. It gave MSNBC and Fox News a reason to take their cameras elsewhere. But anyone who thinks that the impact of a disaster like this one can be washed away with a half-step — well, that's the most wishful of wishful thinking.

The only thing that will send a message loud enough to be heard outside of Indiana's borders is an expanded civil rights law. That's how you get people's attention. That's how you convince them that you're serious when you say Indiana welcomes all.

Hoye's email underscores a point many have expressed in recent weeks: That the true damage to Indiana would not be inflicted with a machete but rather with a thousand small cuts. And that the losses would not come in press releases sent by boycotting states and organizations, as they were during the fury of the legislative session, but rather in something even harder to combat.

Silence.

An official at Visit Indy, the city's convention arm, said RFRA, along with Indiana's winter weather, contributed to the city losing the Fairs and Expositions bid, which had been in the works for several months before controversy hit the state. At least the city's hard-working convention advocates had a chance to fight for this one. Going forward, how many event organizers, businesses and visitors will simply ignore Indiana from the start?

Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy, sent words of warning in his own email to local leaders last week. He said "a significant portion of our active customer base — at least 25 percent by our team's estimate, probably higher — was either not aware RFRA had been amended or was unclear on how the amendment had changed the law."

Hoops quoted "a senior executive from a national association" who said his group "decided against Indy because of the legislation." He noted there "continues to be a residual impact on our destination's appeal" and that it will cost the city visitors in the coming months. He quoted the senior executive whose group rejected Indiana: "The bad taste of that single action, even though it has been changed, will last for quite some time."

In response, Visit Indy has been working hard to sell the city, recently sending a video sharing the "Indy Welcomes All" message to thousands of meeting planners. It's a solid effort. But what a shame that there is now another obstacle standing in the way of strengthening Indiana's economy. And, remember, while Indianapolis has a strong gay-rights ordinance, most Indiana communities do not.

RFRA was a disaster. It exposed a negligently backward thinking among Republican leaders at the Statehouse. It hurt both the state's spirit and its economy. And the damage it did lives on, even if the noise has quieted.

Ultimately, there is only one thing that will allow the state to fully heal. That is an expansion of the protections included in Indiana's civil rights laws. It's the right thing to do. For the sake of Indiana and all of its people, let's get it done.

You can reach me at matthew.tully@indystar.com or Twitter.com/matthewltully.

Related: You can read more columns from Matthew Tully at https://www.indystar.com/opinion/tully/.