$840K raised for Indiana pizzeria that backed religious law
A crowdfunding campaign for an Indiana pizzeria that came under fire after its owners said their religious beliefs wouldn't allow them to cater a gay wedding has raised more than $840,000.
A crowdfunding campaign for an Indiana pizzeria that came under fire after its owners said their religious beliefs wouldn't allow them to cater a gay wedding has raised more than $840,000.
While many hailed the revisions to the state’s new “religious freedom” law as a salve for the wounds suffered by the state after its passage, neither religious conservatives nor gay rights activists are satisfied.
The revised legislation prohibits providers from using the law as a legal defense for refusing to provide services, goods, facilities or accommodations. Legislators hammered out the change after critics claimed the “religious freedom” law could be used to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Indiana lawmakers have approved changes to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to address charges that it could allow discrimination against lesbians and gays. Gov. Mike Pence has not indicated whether he’ll sign it.
The Republican for months has expressed skepticism with a proposed state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Act if there is no accompanying measure with gay protections.
Justices turned away appeals from five states including Indiana seeking to prohibit same-sex marriage. The court’s order immediately ends delays on such marriages in those states but leaves the Constitutional question hanging.
Federal appeals judges bristled on Tuesday at arguments defending gay marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin, with one Republican appointee comparing them to now-defunct laws that once outlawed weddings between blacks and whites.
Attorneys are asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to step in on behalf of hundreds of same-sex couples who were wed before a federal appeals court stayed an order striking down Indiana’s gay marriage ban.
Ken Falk, chief legal counsel for the ACLU of Indiana, said he expects the growing number of federal lawsuits will be consolidated into a single challenge against the state's marriage law.
After an extended Twitter tirade over the weekend stemming from a Senate move stalling the amendment, Sen. Mike Delph on Monday pledged to use a procedural maneuver to resurrect deleted language.
The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the Indiana Youth Group in its appeal of the state's March decision, arguing the BMV selectively enforced the policy that led to the ban.
The proposal for a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage has a better shot of passing now that Republicans again control both chambers. Opponents say the amendment isn't needed, because Indiana law already bans gay marriage.
Like Donner, we find ourselves advocating lies and abetting coverups of our good soldiers’; true identities, rather than celebrating the unique talents of every American willing to serve