In his second press conference in five days on the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), Governor Mike Pence said flatly that he wanted the Legislature to act by the end of the week to approve new language in a new law that would say that the RFRA couldn’t deny service to anyone. Said the Governor, “I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to move legislation this week that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone.” The Governor repeated his belief that that he’s against discrimination and that the RFRA law doesn’t discriminate. But he wants the Legislature to act quickly to write language to make sure that the law doesn’t do that. At the same time, Gov. Pence stayed firm on his conviction that it was not “in his agenda” to include sexual orientation as a protected civil rights class in the state. In the news conference attended not just by the regular Indiana Statehouse media, but by national media including CNN, MSNBC and NBC, Fox News, CBS, ABC and more, the Governor was repeatedly asked about business opposition, especially the growing vocal opposition of the NCAA to the law. Asked if the clarifying language would say that the RFRA law wouldn’t override local city and county ordinances that protect sexual orientation, the Governor didn’t really answer. When an ABC correspondent asked him the same question about a florist denying service to a gay couple that was asked Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Gov. Pence admitted that he hadn’t answered that question well. Continually pressed about discrimination in Indiana and the RFRA law, Gov. Pence told the story of his visit several years ago to Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge with Congressman John Lewis who was beaten during the Bloody Sunday march. Pence has told that story in several Afternoons with Amos interviews, but the local and national mainstream media had never heard it until today. Watch Gov. Pence’s full press conference above.
