Yesterday, Indiana governor Mike Pence signed into law a bill that potentially allows businesses in the state to discriminate against LGBTQ customers by citing "religious freedom." Like so many things in this deeply fucked up world, it is bullshit, and organizations as powerful as the NCAA have already begun to speak out against this transparent gesture of bigotry from the clearly clueless, ignorant, and hateful Pence and the equally shameful Republican-dominated Illinois House and Senate, as well as the typical scumbag lobbyists that make it possible for draconian laws like this to be passed.
If you're experiencing a specific strain of déjà vu, that might be because this shit happens all the time in America and elsewhere—but a particularly high-profile case took place way the fuck back in 2010, when the state of Arizona passed their own insanely bigoted immigration-focused law of their own. Artists across the musical spectrum vowed to boycott performing in the state because of it, and it'll be interesting in the coming weeks to see if something similar takes place in the response to Indiana's own law. Bleachers, for one, have an Indianapolis show scheduled for June 7 as part of the Alt 103 ALT-imate Birthday concert, and bandleader Jack Antonoff has expressed his own thoughts regarding the band's upcoming performance. They're still going to perform, but his thoughts, re-posted below, are worth the read.
upcoming show in Indiana- I don't believe in canceling shows in places where awful laws are being passed, I believe in going in SPEAKING OUT
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) March 26, 2015
the recent legislation in Indiana that gov. mike pence signed is repulsive and I fully intend to make that known when I'm in the state.
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) March 26, 2015
ALL LGBTQ people are welcome at the bleachers show even though they live in a state in which their representatives believe they are inferior
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) March 26, 2015
SHAME on gov. mike pence who signed a bill that could allows business to turn away LGBTQ customers. GROW UP
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) March 26, 2015
I will proudly share the sadness we all feel about this law from the stage in Indiana.
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) March 26, 2015
Well put.
Lead image: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
