Remember RFRA and what it did to our state?

Two years ago, Hoosiers were reeling from the political and social fallout seen around the globe because of the enactment of a religious freedom law that critics said would have permitted discrimination based on sexual orientation.

We weren't in a good place. There were concerns about the potential loss of tourism and economic development. A swath of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals felt unwelcome here. Elected officials continued to fumble even after they were pressured to clean up the mess.

In response — brilliant response — leaders from Indy Pride, Inc. and Visit Indy thought the state's new image of bigotry could be extinguished by opening the door to the international LGBT community.

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This week, their idea comes to fruition. InterPride, the International Association of Pride Organizers, will hold its annual general meeting and world conference in Indianapolis. More than 300 people are expected to attend.

"It didn’t seem that the decision to pass RFRA was representative of Hoosier values, and especially Indianapolis' values," Chris Handberg, executive director of IndyPride, a gay advocacy organization, told me. "We want to specifically show those values of openness, inclusiveness and hospitality, that Indianapolis is truly a welcoming place and welcoming city for delegates."

The RFRA controversy erupted in March 2015, when then-Gov. Mike Pence signed legislation with language that could have permitted business owners to discriminate against LGBT individuals based on their religious beliefs. The Indiana General Assembly amended RFRA to prevent it from overriding local ordinances that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Handberg said in the two years since RFRA, things have gotten better — "there's more acceptance than ever before in my lifetime" — but there's still a long way to go. Nationally, he said, the level of discrimination against transgender individuals is growing, particularly against transgender people of color, who are being assaulted or murdered in record numbers.

A large purpose of the conference is to bring together global organizations working to eradicate such intolerance. Topics of discussion will include domestic violence in the LGBT community, engaging faith organizations, human rights campaigning and public safety for pride festivals.

"There is still a lot of hatred and a lot of opposition to being an LGBTQ person in the country and the world," Handberg said. "This is an opportunity for representatives to stand united and learn from each other."

The InterPride world conference dates to 1982. Landing the conference is a big win for cities. Last year's conference was held in Montpellier, France; next year's will be in Saskatoon, Canada. Representatives from Asia, Africa and Europe are registered to attend this year.

Bringing InterPride to Indy started with a pledge in the heat of the RFRA chaos from businesses to support the event. Without that upfront commitment from organizations such as Butler University, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Indianapolis International Airport, Westin Hotels & Resorts and Anthem, it could have remained a dream.

It's heartening to think that even through the state's missteps, there are individuals, nonprofit organizers and business owners with the long view, those who realize that hate has no place in Indiana.

What a difference two years can make. Welcome, InterPride.

For more information on the conference, including two educational panels open to the public Friday at the Eiteljorg Museum, visit indypride.org/interpride/.

Email IndyStar columnist Suzette Hackney at suzette.hackney@indystar.com. Friend her on Facebook at Suzette Hackney and follow her on Twitter: @suzyscribe.