Last week, Indiana Governor, Mike Pence privately signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act "RFRA" into law. The law is under scrutiny for overwhelming concerns that it could allow a path to discrimination against gay people.
Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act has caused a major uproar. The band, Wilco, and comedian, Nick Offerman have canceled performances in Indiana. The cities of New York, San Francisco, and Seattle have plans to stop work-related travel to Indiana. Major companies have spoken out opposing the law: Apple, Nike, NASCAR, Subaru, Salesforce, Angie's List, Eli Lilly, and many more. The NCAA has publicly stated concern with the law, especially since the NCAA's men's basketball Final Four games are being held in Indianapolis this week. Many universities in Indiana have vocalized their opposition of the law like Indiana University, Butler University, DePauw University, Ball State University, and Valparaiso University.
I live and work in Indiana. I am the Marketing Communications Coordinator for a large company, and part of my responsibilities in this role is managing public relations. The response and backlash from RFRA here in Indiana is awe-inspiring, not only in the general public arena but also with the customers and vendors at workplace. Many vendors I work with have condemned the bill and the state of Indiana. Many customers have asked about my company's stance on the bill. I'm proud to say the company I work for responded with a statement advocating diversity.Nineteen other states have a version of the RFRA on the books. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Author
Samantha earned her degree double majoring in Journalism and Communications from Indiana University. After an internship with a minor league baseball team and an internship with the IU Auditorium, she started working for a marketing firm. She currently works in marketing and public relations and freelances as a graphic designer. Samantha resides just outside of Chicago. She is a self-proclaimed "jack of all trades."