Thursday, March 26, 2015

Homophobia just cost Indiana the services of a $4 billion company

Sometimes, lessons have to be learned the hard way. The above tweet belongs to Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, a $4 billion software company.

Thanks to that awful "religious freedom" bill which Indiana legislators passed and Gov. Mike Pence just signed, Safeforce has canceled its programs in the state.

I hope it hurts like hell.

And I have a feeling that this will be only the beginning.

'Anti-gay victory in Indiana may signal bigger loss against lgbt equality' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Breaking: Indiana Governor Mike Pence Has Signed 'Religious Freedom' Bill Into Law - Gov. Pence signed that awful bill into law, as everyone knew he would. Don't let what happened fool you. "Religious liberty" bills are a sad, desperate attempt from folks who can't stop marriage equality. And as the tweets in this article shows, no matter how much they crow about it, the anti-gay right has to know that these sort of bills will backfire. The next step for us is to get engaged, stay engaged, keep the conversation going on how these bill will allow discrimination, and wait for someone to "use" this bill. And shield ourselves as we maneuver the fireworks.  

Indiana's governor signs bill allowing businesses to reject gay customers - And already, the religious right have lost control of the conversation, as this CNN headline demonstrates.  They say it's not about discrimination, but no one is fooled. "Pop! Pop! POP!"

What Fundamentalists Are Missing About Religious Freedom Bills - The irony about these bills is that they are now moving us into the territory to discuss religious doctrine vs. public policy. This is no longer solely a conversation about lgbt equality, a tactical error on the part of those pushing these bills. 

 Blast From the Past: States Using 'Religious Freedom' to Justify Segregation - Yep. A serious tactical error if we as a community can show it. 

 Klingenschmitt: Transgender People Are Driven By A Demonic 'Predatory Spirit Of Sexual Exploitation' - This would be funny, except for the simple fact that fear-based rhetoric like this . . .  

Virginia School Board Votes To Force Transgender Student Out Of Bathrooms - . . leads to junk like this. No child should be treated like this.