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A demonstrator calls on the state of Indiana to roll back the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, outside the City County Building in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 30, 2015. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Lawmakers in Indiana today announced plans for changes to the states new religious freedom law that sparked state and nationwide outrage. Lawmakers in Arkansas are debating revisions to a similar bill that has also been the focus of heavy criticism.

Both bills, critics say, would allow discrimination, particularly against gays and lesbians. So what do these laws, and the backlash over them, say about the social and cultural moment were in right now?

This is the subject of Times new cover story, Freedom Fight: How a showdown over religion and gay rights is changing the culture war. Here & Nows Jeremy Hobson talks to Elizabeth Dias, a correspondent for Time, and one of the reporters on the story.

Read the original here:
Backlash Over Religious Freedom Laws Marks New Moment In Culture Wars

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) says his state will "correct" the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, saying the law "does not give anyone a license deny services to gay and lesbian couples." (Reuters)

The national debate over an Indiana religious-liberties law seen as anti-gay has drawn the entire field of Republican presidential contenders into the divisive culture wars, which badly damaged Mitt Romney in 2012 and which GOP leaders eagerly sought to avoid in the 2016 race.

Most top Republican presidential hopefuls this week have moved in lock step, and without pause, to support Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) and his Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which has prompted protests and national calls for boycotts by major corporations.

In Arkansas on Tuesday, Republican legislators approved a similar measure that Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) is expected to sign. The action prompted the chief executive of Arkansas-based Wal-Mart to ask Hutchinson to veto the bill, saying that it does not reflect the values we uphold.

The agreement among the likely GOP candidates illustrates the enduring power of social conservatives in early-voting states such as Iowa and South Carolina, which will help determine who emerges as the partys nominee next year.

But the position puts the Republican field out of step with a growing national consensus on gay rights, handing Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Democrats a way to portray Republicans as intolerant and insensitive. Some Republicans also fear that Indiana is only the first in a series of brush fires that could engulf the party as it struggles to adapt to the nations rapidly changing demographics and social mores.

All eyes are on Indiana after Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a controversial religious freedom bill into law. The Posts Sarah Pulliam Bailey explains what's in the law and why there's so much opposition to it. (Pamela Kirkland/The Washington Post)

At a news conference Tuesday, Pence a potential long-shot presidential candidate himself strongly defended the Indiana statute, which grants individuals and businesses legal grounds to defend themselves against claims of discrimination. But he also said the state would fix the law to make clear that it does not give license to businesses to deny services to anyone.

Pence insisted that it was never the laws intent to allow discrimination I abhor discrimination, he said repeatedly although he acknowledged that negative perceptions have taken a rapid toll on Indianas reputation and economic development.

[Read Dan Balz: Indiana and the defining divisions in American politics]

Continue reading here:
Indiana law draws Republican White House hopefuls into the ...

Story highlights LZ: Indiana law pushing back LGBT rights, and other states' anti-LGBT moves, bow to far right wing that GOP candidates need for 2016 Cruz, Huckabee, Jindal, Carson, Walker are reviving culture wars, he says. Equality for LGBT has not yet "won" in America

The story ticked off items on Pence's conservative things-to-do list while also noting his close ties to the deep-pocketed Koch brothers, as well as other right-wing lobbying groups. Last August the Indiana governor was in Dallas for an Americans for Prosperity event; the group is backed by the conservative Koch brothers, and supported Gov. Pence's tax-slashing budget.

LZ Granderson

Now, Pence is drawing huge heat for his controversial decision to sign a religious freedom law last week that opens the door to discrimination against gays and lesbians. Why would Pence ignore the pleas of Indiana's Chamber of Commerce as well as the Republican mayor of his state capital and sign such a bill? Because there's a very powerful wing of his party that wants a conservative as its 2016 candidate and this bill was Pence's way of shoring up his street cred.

It is also the reason why Republican Jeb Bush, Pence's fellow White House hopeful, who is viewed as a little light in that category, was first to rush in to defend Pence and the law.

One lesson here: Just because more than 70% of the country now lives in states where same-sex marriage is legal does not mean 70% of the country is happy about it.

Backlash aside, the fact is Pence has scored a lot of points this week among ultraconservatives. And while that may not be enough to get him over this political hump, the very public debate that now embroils him and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and likely 14 other states considering similar proposals this year -- is more than enough to drag the entire Republican field farther to the right than the party had hoped.

Pence: 'Was I expecting this kind of backlash? Heavens no.'

For there is no way a Republican can get through the pending primary without denouncing LGBT rights, which unfortunately will turn numerous Americans into single-issue voters.

I foolishly hoped the issue of LGBT rights would be a bit player in the 2016 general election, overshadowed by foreign policy and the economy.

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LZ: The real lesson of Indiana's anti-LGBT law

Opponents of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act rallied against the legislation at the Indiana State House on Saturday. Doug McSchooler/AP hide caption

Opponents of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act rallied against the legislation at the Indiana State House on Saturday.

The culture wars are always percolating beneath the surface in presidential politics until something or someone pushes them to the surface.

That something early in this cycle is Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Republican Gov. Mike Pence, who is considering a run for president in 2016, signed into law last week. It has caused a firestorm of criticism from those who say the law could lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians, including businesses like Apple and Angie's List; the NCAA, which is hosting the men's college basketball Final Four in Indianapolis; and even other states like Connecticut, which banned state-paid travel to Indiana.

Pence seemed surprised by the backlash and has had some difficulty explaining his position. Other potential 2016 candidates have leapt to his defense, and some, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, went further than the Indiana governor.

Supporters say Indiana's law is similar to the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed in 1993.

As is often the case in controversies, however, the facts have become muddled and conflated. So what are the facts? How are the two laws different? And how have politics on both sides shaped the response?

Seeking 'Clarification' And A 'Fix,' As The Contenders Weigh In

On Tuesday, Pence said there has "been misunderstanding and confusion and mischaracterization of this law." But he said he is seeking "clarification" and a "fix" to the law with legislation "that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone."

On Monday, though, the law became part of the presidential campaign with Republican presidential candidates weighing in after a Sunday show performance from Pence that raised more questions. Pence sidestepped half a dozen specific questions about whether the law could lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Read more:
Indiana Law: Sorting Fact From Fiction From Politics

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