Thread: Indianapolis in Crisis Mode After Tourism Hit by Religious Bill

The rainbow flag, a symbol of gay rights, flies prominently on the Visit Indy website and Indiana's Republican Governor Mike Pence personally phoned the head of a Seattle company that gathers 56,000 gaming nerds in the heartland each year.

These are just some of the signs that Indianapolis, a corn belt city of 850,000 with a $4.4 billion tourism industry, has gone into full-on damage control to make sure its growing convention business is not harmed by a national uproar over a religious bill that Pence signed into law last week.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act - which to some meant religious freedom and to others a license to discriminate - was modified on Thursday by Indiana lawmakers to clarify that businesses cannot deny service to gays and lesbians.

Pence signed the clarified law on Thursday, soon after his Arkansas counterpart, Governor Asa Hutchinson, signed a modified version of a similar bill in his state.

With tens of thousands of basketball fans set to attend the NCAA Final Four men's college tournament in Indianapolis this weekend - and Indy's car-racing industry also expressing concerns over the law - tourism leaders were eager for a quick fix.

“We have been working around the clock in crisis mode because the perception of Indy being unwelcoming has been everywhere,” said Chris Gahl, vice president of communications at Visit Indy, the marketing arm for Indianapolis, the state's capital and largest city.

Gahl said the group is “working feverishly” on the phone with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union and with Christian church Disciples of Christ to make sure they do not carry through with plans to cancel meetings in the city, which has built new hotels and expanded its convention center as tourism booms.

But the biggest convention of all is Gen Con, a meeting of a Seattle-based gamer group that says it has a $50 million annual impact on Indianapolis.

During Gen Con's annual meeting, attendees gather at tables and computer screens for round-the-clock role-playing games such as Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons, trading card games, video and computer games, miniatures and board games.

“We've been on the phone with them every day, reassuring them we are doing everything we can as a city to oppose the bill and ensure their executives and attendees they will be welcome,” said Gahl.

“A significant portion of Gen Con attendees identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and we are reading that some members of our community feel unsafe traveling to Indiana,” Gen Con Chief Executive Adrian Swartout wrote in an open letter to attendees, after Governor Pence phoned her on Monday.

Gen Con had said it was halting plans for expanding its yearly convention until the RFRA was amended.

Rainbow Flag

The day before Pence signed the original RFRA last week, Visit Indy moved the rainbow flag up to the top of its website, said Gahl. The entity has been actively marketing to the gay community for five years, he said.

Tourism in Indianapolis grown to $4.4 billion in the past eight years from $3.4 billion, and added 10,000 new jobs, for a total of 65,000 full-time jobs. Some 26 million visitors came to the city last year, up from 22 million in 2006, according to Visit Indy.

Global corporations such as pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Wal-Mart Stores were among businesses that pressured Pence to modify or repeal the law.

Indianapolis in Crisis Mode After Tourism Hit by Religious Bill

So, let's get this straight (no pun here) - If a business does not want to cater a same-sex wedding affair they are now required to do so even if it goes against their personal moral code?

What kind of fucked-up place is America becoming?

Its the same fu'kd place it was when I left 25 years ago Boon, just a lot more self righteous..

are you allowed to discriminate against dumb fcuks ?

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

What kind of fucked-up place is America becoming?

you have to do something with all those lawyers you produce - the litigation game will only ever spiral into one result as you are now starting to notice

^Lawyers don't make the laws...they simply apply the legal definition as prescribed by the sets of laws provided by the Judicial system...not their fault there are many loop holes in laws, or a society that is so shallow as to provide protection for one set of people while persecuting another set. Always a two way street when dealing with constitutional Law.

Extreme points of view and judicial analysis has brought about the neutralization of Constitutional law as well any respect for laws of any sort. The recent events and overt reactions by the Justice Department and the US Attorney Generals office has done nothing but weaken the public's respect for all things legal. Double standards are easily applied throughout the legal system using the law as its foundation not common sense.

America is in a state of breaking apart along social and racial lines. The next 2-3 years will tell the story.

Originally Posted by ltnt

America is in a state of breaking apart along social and racial lines. The next 2-3 years will tell the story.

So Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo?

Where in your constitution does it say the USA is supposed to be a theocracy? Because that is where things like the RFRA are headed, make no mistake about it.

Nothing of the kind QC and you know it. Theocracy my ass. From the founding fathers alone this nation under God...Now the rainbow boys and girls are threatened by this stuff...fk off.

Originally Posted by ltnt

From the founding fathers alone this nation under God...

Wot?!!?

Originally Posted by quimbian corholla

Originally Posted by ltnt

From the founding fathers alone this nation under God...

Wot?!!?

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Today it reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Originally Posted by quimbian corholla

Where in your constitution does it say the USA is supposed to be a theocracy? Because that is where things like the RFRA are headed, make no mistake about it.

You're right, freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. Sadly the Republican Party panders to religious zealots to the degree that the right to an abortion is now very much at risk, solely because of religion. Most morals laws too have no basis in legitimate government function, and the "Blue Laws" that require businesses to close on Sunday are discriminatory and straight out of the Bible.
Blue laws in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by BobR

You're right, freedom of religion also means freedom from religion.

Yes indeed it does. Couldn't agree with you more. You take your highway and I'll take mine...equality I think its called. If I want to visit you can I just drop in and demand you open your doors to me? No, you say? What's the difference between your house and my business?

If specific States or counties have Blue Laws and you don't like them vote em out? If not do like the rest of the folks do and buy up on Saturday or go over the line to the local bar or liquor store and buy what you like. I personally had no problem with Blue Laws since I was able to think for myself BobR.

CBS Affiliate Employee Being Investigated for Bogus Fraud Report against ‘Memories Pizza’ (Updated)



Alix Bryan, a social media employee with WTVR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, is being investigated by station management for filing a false fraud report to GoFundMe against Memories Pizza, a spokesman told The Gateway Pundit on Friday.

Over $700,000 has been raised in just a few days to help the family-owned business that has temporarily shut down after being harassed by totalitarian gay-rights supporters outraged the store said in a gotcha TV interview that in theory it would not cater a gay wedding because of their religious beliefs."

CBS Affiliate Employee Being Investigated for Bogus Fraud Report against ?Memories Pizza? (Updated) | The Gateway Pundit

A social media employee? WTF is that? Some precious little snowflake who trolls Facebook?

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

A social media employee? WTF is that? Some precious little snowflake who trolls Facebook? Boon Mee is online now Add to Boon Mee's Reputation Report Post

Yes, why are you surprised? The Internet is all powerful and shamebook is at the head of the pack...I do like the part about totalitarian gay-rights supporters...

Originally Posted by ltnt

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

A social media employee? WTF is that? Some precious little snowflake who trolls Facebook? Boon Mee is online now Add to Boon Mee's Reputation Report Post

Yes, why are you surprised? The Internet is all powerful and shamebook is at the head of the pack...I do like the part about totalitarian gay-rights supporters...

Heh...you know what chaps these folks collective (pun intended) asses?

"A staggering $842,387 was raised in just two days for the owners of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, after they came under attack for saying they would refuse for religious reasons to cater a hypothetical gay wedding.

The “Support Memories Pizza” page on GoFundMe.com closed for donations Friday evening following a stunning 48-hour fundraising campaign that took in contributions from 29,160 people. The total raised is more than four times the original goal of $200,000."

Memories Pizza crowdfunding drive raises $842,387: 'I'm so grateful' - Washington Times

Don't underestimate those flyover country, silent majority bitter clingers.

Originally Posted by ltnt

Its the same fu'kd place it was when I left 25 years ago Boon, just a lot more self righteous..

Numb and disconnected.

Who the fuck would order pizza for a wedding anyway? Is this a 'Shoppers of Wal*Mart' thing?

So if I own a service business I should have the right to refuse to serve anyone I think does not live up to my particular concept of morality? I guess that means if you are an athiest you can refuse to serve Christians or Jews for being dumb fucks who believe in a fairy tale god?

Originally Posted by Humbert

So if I own a service business I should have the right to refuse to serve anyone I think does not live up to my particular concept of morality? I guess that means if you are an athiest you can refuse to serve Christians or Jews for being dumb fucks who believe in a fairy tale god?

All I can see here is that there must be a huge unmet demand for servicing homosexual wedding receptions?

Social engineering. Get ready for bigger things!

Let me get clear about this.

Indiana passes a bill which gave "religious freedom" to Christians which would allow them to deny service to people they find morally repugnant, including gays.

Hoosiers are happy.

Free market kicked in and out of state business who had planned to hold conventions and or do business in Indiana decided they want to cancel since they have employees and participants who could be denied service by the locals.

The businesses who canceled had just as much right to take their business to another state as the religious did to deny service.

Suddenly, everyone is not so happy.

The governor shit himself when he discovered how much revenue the state would lose and changed the law.

How this equates to social engineering, I don't see. This is a decision based purely on revenue loss to the state of Indiana.

Originally Posted by misskit

The governor shit himself when he discovered how much revenue the state would lose and changed the law.

Indeed he did. This law should never have been passed at the state level. There are already municipal laws such as Indianapolis which prohibit discrimination against gays which trumps religious freedom. By passing this law without specifically stating prohibition of discrimination of gays, the state government has created a legal quagmire which will swamp the Indiana supreme court.

Just another example of state or federal gov passing laws which should be done at the local level. Given the nationwide trend to prohibit discrimination against "sexual preference" expect federal gov will prohibit discrimination based on sexual preference as is already the case with race and gender. Hence this Indiana law would become unconstitutional.

The bill would have given EMT's the right to refuse life saving actions to victims if they were thought to be gay.

Well, let's have another look at the fallout from the Hoosier mess.

Not to forget Alix Bryan, a social media employee with WTVR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, is being investigated by station management for filing a false fraud report to GoFundMe against Memories Pizza.

^ How many times are you going to post that insignificant story?