Watch: Spoof Indiana tourist board ad mocks anti-gay ‘religious freedom’ law
A spoof advert has mocked Indiana’s new ‘religious freedom’ law – which allows business owners to refuse to serve gay people.
The state’s Republican governor this week signed into law the controversial ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act’, which gives people the right to discriminate against gay people on the grounds of religion.
Despite his insistence that it is not anti-gay and does not allow people to discriminate, some local business owners are already using the law to refuse to serve gay couples.
A spoof ad for the state mocked up by the Internet Action Force hails it as a ‘great place to be a bigot’.
The ad says: “Whether you’re a family of bigots, a couple of bigots or just an individual bigot, you can explore Indiana Dunes State park, tour the covered bridges of Parke County, and shame and humiliate people who are different to you to your heart’s content.
“Indiana: It’s a great place to be a bigot.”
In real life, tourism bodies in the state have actually condemned the anti-gay law – which they say will harm the state’s image.
The Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau in Southern Indiana said: “Inflammatory rhetoric on both sides of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is damaging to the tourism community.
“The Indiana law is being politicised and Indiana tourism entities are among the first to suffer in this heated debate.
“We are rallying the tourism community to ensure visitors will feel welcome in our state despite the rhetoric being bandied about on this issue.
“The beauty of travel is that it allows people to meet and talk with others who have different views and perspectives.”
