Indiana Governor Mike Pence is causing a lot of controversy by signing a “religious freedom” bill that some say allows businesses to discriminate against gay people.
“This bill is not about discrimination and if I thought it legalized discrimination I would have vetoed it,” Pence said, according to the Indy Star .
Many businesses and celebrities have spoken out against it, including pop singer Miley Cyrus. She is quoted by Gossip Cop .
“You’re an a**hole @govpenceIN -1 cc: the only place that has more idiots tha[n] Instagram is in politics…We need more strong heterosexual men fighting for equality in both men and women! Why are the macho afraid to love muchoooo?!?”
Gossip Cop mentions that earlier, Miley’s brother Braison wrote on his Instagram account that Pence was passing a law in Indiana to allow businesses to discriminate against gays. He thought it was wrong in so many ways and encouraged Miley to send him a nasty tweet. Miley easily complied and it’s no surprise. According to the Huffington Post , the controversial singer had some things to say last year at a London show that made gay people cheer and, at the same time, upset religious fanatics.
“You know, everyone’s a little bit gay. Some of us just a little bit more than others… You know, it’s the truth. Everyone’s gay. All it takes is one cocktail. And if that doesn’t work, sprinkle something in their drink. That’s what I always do.”
It would be interesting for Miley to play a show in Indiana and say the same thing. Indiana is more conservative than the rest of the United States and easily elected Governor Mike Pence, even though he has some pretty extremist views. It’s important to note that in Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a very similar type of bill last year. She was praised by gay activists.
CNN reports that the gamer convention Gen Con and the Disciples of Christ church have threatened to end their Indianapolis conventions. They also mentioned the NCAA, a group who believes that discriminating against customers based on sexual orientation could really hurt the city’s reputation in terms of sporting events.
You can bet that other gay-friendly stars such as Lady Gaga, Cher, Madonna, and even Beyoncé will soon join the crusade against Indiana, a state that may pay the same economic price Arizona did in 2010 when it passed a controversial immigration bill. Do you agree with Mike Pence’s decision to sign the bill? Tell us in the comments section.
[Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder and Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]