On Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) quietly signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. Many claim the law would allow corporations or individuals to use their religious beliefs as a defense when sued by a private party. Opponents of the bill believe that the law essentially legalizes discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and couples , given that they would not be legally protected if business owners refused to serve these individuals.

In a prepared statement, Pence said, “…many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action” and the Act is an effort to recognize that freedom.

Though the Act was signed to “little fanfare,” the potential repercussions are not small. For example, leaders of the Christian Church (Disciplines of Christ) sent a letter to the governor in which they stated the organization leaders were reconsidering holding their “6,000-person general assembly” in Indianapolis because of the legislation. As well, organizers of Gen Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the country, has also stated that it may stop holding its event in Indiana, which could be a possible $50 million loss to the city.

Even the Republican mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard, stated the passage of the “religious freedom bill” sent the wrong message about the state. In his own prepared statement, Ballard wrote, “Indianapolis strives to be a welcoming place that attracts businesses, conventions, visitors and residents…We are a diverse city, and I want everyone who visits and lives in Indy to feel comfortable here.”

Already, some businesses have gone beyond threatening to enact real changes. For example, Angie’s List CEO Bill Oesterle, has said his firm will no longer expand its headquarters in Indianapolis. In an interview with The Indianpolis Star, Oesterle said, “We’re going to be very vocal on this issue and I don’t feel we can do that if we are taking state money. We don’t want to be bound by commitments in that deal given the current atmosphere in the state (government).” Indeed, Oesterle went further to say the bill has caused “national embarrassment (for Indiana).”

Additionally, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee (D) also stated that city employees will no longer use taxpayer money to fund trips to Indiana. According to Bloomberg News, other high profile individuals and companies who have come out against the law include Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, Salesforce.com Inc. CEO March Benioff as well as CEO of Yelp Inc. Jeremy Stoppelman and co-founder of PayPal, Max Levchin.

(Photo courtesy of nathanmac87)