Growing LGBT support turns conversation

Proponents of extending statewide anti-discrimination laws for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people gained powerful support Thursday from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and results of the Hoosier Survey.

First, the Indiana Chamber announced it supports adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under Indiana's civil rights law.

Then the annual Hoosier Survey, conducted by Ball State University and WISH-8, showed 56 percent of Indiana residents also supported LGBT protections; 36 percent of those polled opposed adding such protections, WISH reported.

Some say the wave of momentum is turning the conversation from, "Should we even consider such a law?" to, "OK, how do we do this?"

The poll results and chamber's influence might give Republican leaders cover to pass legislation that goes against popular party thinking, but that might be needed to salvage Indiana's reputation and relieve political pressure from powerful business interests, said Andy Downs, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

As support for a state anti-discrimination law grows, Downs said, Republicans could turn what has been a political embarrassment into a victory. If they can pass legislation, they might be able to steal a pet issue from Democrats, quiet vocal critics and take credit for protecting civil rights.

"The challenge," he said, "is going to be figuring out how to do this in a way that they can get a majority to vote for it."

Consider that while Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said expanding the civil rights law was necessary to send a positive statement that Indiana is a welcoming place, he added that the path forward is unclear.

Supporters and opponents of LGBT protections stand stubbornly at odds, both unwilling to compromise.

"It remains to be seen whether that middle ground exists," Brinegar said.

One opponent of LGBT protections dismissed the poll results, saying that people might not fully understand what an anti-discrimination law would mean.

"That means you're silencing people who disagree with homosexuality or believe men should not be allowed in women's restrooms," said Micah Clark, a conservative lobbyist who leads the American Family Association of Indiana.

He cited instead a recent national Associated Press poll that showed the majority of people — 51 percent — would want the government to protect religious liberties over the rights of gays and lesbians.

Clark also pointed to Houston, where on Election Day this week residents voted to repeal the city's anti-discrimination ordinance protecting sexual orientation, gender identity and numerous other classes.

"You don't fix a so-called problem of discrimination by discriminating against people of faith and people who hold to personal values," Clark said.

Clark also disputed the need for LGBT protections to foster economic development and repair damage from the controversy over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

He said several rankings have put Indiana among the top states to do business.

For example, the Pacific Research Institute, a conservative free market think tank, recently named Indiana the No. 1 state for small business, because of the state's "least burdensome" regulations.

But Brinegar, of the chamber of commerce, said, "That argument doesn't resonate with us. Our interest is in eliminating anything that unnecessarily puts a black eye on our business climate."

The chamber joins many other Indiana business voices, including Eli Lilly and Co., Cummins and a coalition of tech groups, that are campaigning for LGBT anti-discrimination laws.

Thursday's Hoosier Survey results echo those of a June poll. Commissioned by Republican anti-discrimination law supporter Bill Oesterle and conducted by Republican pollster Christine Matthews, that poll showed 54 percent of Hoosiers supported LGBT protections, 32 percent opposed them and 14 percent were unsure.

Another question in the Hoosier Survey asked whether a wedding service provider should be allowed to refuse services to a same-sex couple because of religious beliefs. Most respondents — 52 percent — said those businesses should be required to serve same-sex couples; 43 percent disagreed.

Among Republicans, 67 percent said wedding service providers should be allowed to decline same-sex couples, the survey found.

The poll also asked who's to blame for the negative publicity that Indiana has weathered through the controversy over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA.

Most — 64 percent — blamed the media. Pointing to the governor were 19 percent of those polled, with 7 percent blaming the General Assembly. The remaining 10 percent said either they didn't know or they thought all were equally responsible.

The legislature passed the controversial law earlier this year. RFRA, which sets a judicial standard to weigh religious objections, ignited a national firestorm over concerns by opponents that it could lead to discrimination against LGBT Hoosiers. Republican legislative leaders proposed and Gov. Mike Pence signed a clarification to bar the law’s use as a defense for discrimination.

Lawmakers are expected to discuss expanding the protections during the 2016 legislative session that begins in January.

Star reporter Chelsea Schneider contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang.

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