Indiana Governor Set To Sign Religious Freedom Law Despite Opposition Protests

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is expected to sign the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or R.F.R.A., on Thursday despite calls by concerned sectors for the governor to veto it, saying that it could be used to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

Bill 101 was passed by Indiana's Republican-controlled General Assembly with the State Senate voting 40-10 votes last March 24 and State House voting 63-31.

Pence, who is considering a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, said the legislation "is about respecting and reassuring Hoosiers that their religious freedoms are intact."

"I strongly support the legislation and applaud the members of the General Assembly for their work on this important issue. I look forward to signing the bill when it reaches my desk," he said in a statement.

A federal R.F.R.A. is actually already in existence since March 11, 1993 upon its signing by then President Bill Clinton. The law is aimed at preventing the enactment of laws that substantially burden a person's free exercise of religion.

It was passed unanimously by the U.S. House and a near unanimous U.S. Senate with three dissenting votes and was signed into law by President Clinton.

Critics said RFRA allows individuals to ignore any law they deem to conflict with their religious beliefs. This has already happened in other states, causing problems related to child welfare, domestic violence, public safety, gay and transgender people, state and local government.

R.F.R.A. laws have already led to many costly lawsuits all over the U.S.

Gen Con, the largest gaming convention in North America with 56,000 attendees last year, has asked Pence not to sign the measure into law. Gen Con is held in Indianapolis, Indiana, every year since 2003.

"Gen Con proudly welcomes a diverse attendee base, made up different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds," Gen Con CEO Adrian Swartout said in his letter to Pence.

"Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years. We ask that you please reconsider your support of SB 101," he said.

The Indiana-based Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) also wrote to Pence, urging him to veto the bill which it said was "distressing."

"Purportedly a matter of religious freedom, we find R.F.R.A. contrary to the values of our faith – as well as to our national and Hoosier values," the church said.

It added, "We are particularly distressed at the thought that, should R.F.R.A. be signed into law, some of our members and friends might not be welcome in Indiana businesses – might experience legally sanctioned bias and rejection once so common on the basis of race."

Hollywood actor George Takei said SB 101 "allows businesses to discriminate against customers based on the proprietors' religious beliefs."

"To the governor and to the legislators in Indiana who support this backward-looking and divisive bill, I say to you this: If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit," he said. "We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world's largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year."