Editorial: Rights for all — it’s time for Indiana to act

Last spring, at the height of controversy surrounding passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Indy Star called for expansion of Indiana’s civil rights law to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

We plan to follow up this fall with an Editorial Board campaign aimed at convincing state political leaders to adopt a law modeled after Indianapolis’ 10-year-old human rights ordinance. Indy’s law provides strong legal protections for LGBT citizens, but has not placed undue burdens on businesses or religious organizations.

Equal protection for all is necessary and right.

Why is an expanded law required to uphold that value? For the answer, go back to late March when Indiana faced a crisis in the days after the General Assembly approved and Gov. Mike Pence signed the RFRA legislation. Major employers were either canceling or threatening to cancel expansion projects, training programs and other investments in the state. Indianapolis was at severe risk of losing major conventions and sporting events. And Indiana’s reputation as a welcoming, inclusive place to work and live — qualities essential for attracting and retaining great talent — was taking hit after heavy hit.

Our city and state were threatened with lasting and severe damage. The Star responded in that moment with a front-page editorial on March 31 that demanded of the governor and lawmakers: “Fix This Now.”

A day later, an impressive gathering of top business, civic and academic leaders stood in the Indiana House chambers, along with House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate leader David Long, to announce that they had reached a compromise to “fix” RFRA by amending it so local human rights ordinances would no longer be negated by the new law.

Those leaders also made an important commitment that day, a pledge to lead a statewide conversation about expansion of the civil rights law during the 2016 legislative session.

We will push to ensure that commitment is kept.

The Star stands firmly against discrimination targeted at any Hoosier in employment, housing or public accommodation based on race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, nationality – and sexual orientation or gender identity. And as defenders of the First Amendment, we believe deeply in religious freedoms. But protections for all and religious freedom can co-exist.

We recognize that not all Hoosiers agree with our position on expanding the civil rights law. And we plan to provide ample opportunity for opponents of the anti-discrimination proposal to be heard on our website and in print.

We believe an open and respectful dialogue is of high value because we trust that armed with the facts and given an opportunity to wrestle honestly and openly with these issues, most Hoosiers will embrace the need to expand Indiana’s civil rights law.

One important point we want to make clear: Our newsgathering remains independent from any editorial positions we take. Our newsroom is structured to ensure that reporters and key editors have no involvement in decisions made by our Editorial Board. Those journalists are expected to pursue coverage that is unbiased, accurate and highlights the range of views that surround important issues affecting our city and state. Their credibility rests on that independence; they would not have it any other way.

In our Editorial Board mission, we will continue to be transparent with you. That includes saying editorial campaigns are not new. Newspapers have championed important causes for as long as newspapers have existed, fighting for their communities, fighting for what they believe is right.

We will push hard for our state’s leaders to embrace the value of rights for all and to write that into law.

We voice our opinion with the goal of helping to promote the good of Indiana and its people, just as we have with past editorial campaigns that fought for better protections for abused and neglected children, more efficient local government, improved care for developmentally disabled and mentally ill Hoosiers, and other causes.

We will invest our time, energy and passion — and whatever influence we can muster — to help make Indiana an even better place to call home.

And we unwaveringly believe that means building a state where discrimination is not tolerated in any form.

Karen Ferguson Fuson, president and publisher

Jeff Taylor, executive editor

Tim Swarens, opinion editor