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The Future of LGBT Protections In Indiana

The abrupt death of legislation aimed at balancing religious freedom with gay, lesbian and bisexual civil rights left many surprised and disappointed. Fingers started pointing almost immediately as advocates in the debate sought to assign blame.

Finger-pointing could have a ripple effect on this year's elections, as people on both sides of the issue begin looking ahead to the fall.

Immediately after Senate Republican leaders announced their LGBT bill wouldn't advance, their rhetoric shifted to the future. Senate President Pro Tempore David Long says LGBT protections in Indiana are inevitable, and says the hours of testimony and discussion lawmakers heard this session represent significant progress toward that goal.

Progress isn't enough for some.



Peter Hanscom from Indiana Competes, a non-partisan group representing 450 businesses around the state that support a non-discrimination bill, says while they thought the Senate bill had flaws they wanted it to advance to at least keep the conversation going.

"I think the time for inching forward is over," Hanscom says. "There was a really easy way - and there still remains, I should point out - a really easy way to solve this problem."

I think the time for inching forward is over.


But American Family Association of Indiana executive director Micah Clark says that conversation is hurting Indiana's reputation. He argues the problem it seeks to solve simply doesn't exist.

"I mean, is there mistreatment of people? Sure. Everybody's mistreated of all groups at some point - there's bad people in the world," Clark says. "But is it worthy of a law that divides Indiana, and pits people against people, and hurts religious freedom? We don't think so."

Debate could move to the polls this election.



Freedom Indiana is an organization that has been at the forefront of LGBT rights issues at the Statehouse the last few years. Its campaign manager Chris Paulsen says 70 percent of Hoosiers think LGBT rights should be part of state law.

"So if lawmakers are listening to their constituents then I think it will have an effect in the elections," Paulsen says.

Freedom Indiana is a non-partisan group, and Paulsen says it won't target any specific candidates during election season.

Hanscom says the same, but notes many of the businesses aligned with Indiana Competes have their own political operations and make campaign donations.

Some on the other side are worried certain legislators could be targeted, but Clark brushes off the possibility. He says, for better or worse, that's the way the process works.

Governor Mike Pence, set to run for re-election against Democratic nominee John Gregg, has been criticized for his hard-line stance on the issue. Pence vowed in his State of the State address not to support any bill that diminishes religious freedom.

Former House Democratic Floor Leader and former Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan says it's not just the governor's stance, but the way he's handled communicating that stance that could cost him votes.

"When we have a governor who went on national television and ended up embarrassing the state of Indiana, to a point where it's costing us our reputation but also costing us in our pocketbooks, that's a problem," Kruzan says.

Kruzan is referring to Pence's appearance on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos last year, where many say Pence blundered his defense of the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act - a controversy that ultimately led to the non-discrimination bill this year.

Pete Seat, former Indiana Republican Party spokesman, says this year's debate didn't have the same intensity RFRA sparked last session. He says he doesn't think it's going to drive elections this cycle.

"With this issue and practically any issue in the legislature it's up to the Republicans to figure it out," Seat says. "The Democrats at this point in time are irrelevant. They are super minorities in both chambers, and whatever the Republican caucuses in the House and Senate determine, that will effectively be the law."

But Seat notes that doesn't mean the fight for LGBT protections will go away. He says a cultural generational divide between young and old lawmakers will simply take time, or a better-designed compromise, to reconcile.

Words don't fix this problem. Action is what fixes this problem.


"You're seeing this cultural shift," Seat says. "You're seeing this dynamic that hasn't necessarily taken hold here in Indiana to the extent that it has on the coasts, let's say. But people are looking to it."

Seat says shifts like these take place over the course of months, years, and sometimes decades. Lawmakers say they're getting there. But for some, Hanscom says, the bill is already past due.

"Words don't fix this problem. Action is what fixes this problem. And for the hundreds of thousands of LGBT Hoosiers who can still be legally fired from their job, denied access to housing or kicked out of a public place, the idea that we had a discussion about it means absolutely nothing to them."

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