Marriott slams Indiana’s Religious Freedom bill: ‘This is just plain wrong’
By Josh Haggis
Hotel chain Marriott have slammed Indiana’s controversial ‘Religious Free Restoration Act’ bill.
Signed by Gov. Mike Pence, the controversial legislation is expected to come into effect from July and will allow businesses to discriminate based on religious grounds. The decision has been met with widespread criticism from public figures including Hillary Clinton and Miley Cyrus and global businesses.
Now, Marriott CEO Arne Sorensen has criticised Pence’s decision to sign the bill into law, arguing that giving people free reign to discriminate against the LGBT community is “madness”.
“This is just plain wrong and … and we will not stand for it … the notion that you can tell businesses that somehow they are free to discriminate is madness,” Sorsenson told DiversityInc. “The discouraging thing about this is that these politicians must believe it’s in their interest to pass legislation like this, to create this politics of divisiveness.”
“After the law was signed, we had a future guest send an e-mail to the hotel saying ‘I’m gay. I’m set to come next week. Will I be treated fairly?’ As far as I know, there was no raising the question up the corporate ladder.
He added: “There was an instant response from the hotel saying ‘Are you kidding? Of course you are welcome here. We are in the business of welcoming everybody. Please come.'”
Meanwhile, the global hotel chain aren’t the only ones to have come out against the bill. Legendary author Stephen King took to Twitter this week to argue that despite what the Indiana Governer claims, the bill is discrimination “pure and simple”.
Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration act is gay discrimination, pure and simple. You can frost a dog turd, but it's still a dog turd.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 31, 2015
Numerous other celebrities, including the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman have also shown their support for the LGBT community.
Check out just a few of their tweets below:
Indiana are you also going to allow Christian establishments to ban Jews from coming in? Or Vice Versa? Religious freedom??? #OUTRAGE
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) March 27, 2015
Congrats @GovPenceIN
WE ARE CANCELING
Indiana Summer of 69 tour 5/16.
I WILL PLAY @IndianaUniv this Weds and donate my $ to HRC.#Usuck— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) March 31, 2015
Outraged over Indiana Freedom to Discriminate law, signed today. LGBTs aren't 2nd class citizens. #BoycottIndiana #Pence
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 26, 2015
More stories:
Picture special: Cinderella actor Richard Madden in the buff
Rugby team strips off to fight LGBT domestic violence