Mayor Buttigieg and South Bend businesses against controversial religious freedom act
Posted: Mar 27, 2015 6:22 PM EST | Updated: Mar 27, 2015 6:40 PM EST
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On Friday, Mayor Pete Buttigieg stood united with over 40 South Bend business owners to speak out against Indiana's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Mayor Buttigieg and those business owners want the public to know that no matter what the bill says, their doors are open to everyone.
The bill states that businesses with certain religious beliefs can deny service to people who don't fall in line with those same ideals.
Though it doesn't specifically mention sexual orientation, some business owners fear it could lead to discrimination of gay or lesbian customers for religious reasons.
Mayor Buttigieg says Friday's gathering wasn't political, it was just a way for him to get the word out that he will not tolerate this kind of prejudice.
“We don't care where you're from, we don't care how you worship, we don't care what you look like and we don't care who you love. We care about you feeling welcome in this city and South Bend is open for business,” says Mayor Buttigieg.
The Mayor's Office says they're working on making stickers for South Bend businesses to put on their storefronts to show they're against the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Mayor Buttigieg and those business owners want the public to know that no matter what the bill says, their doors are open to everyone.
The bill states that businesses with certain religious beliefs can deny service to people who don't fall in line with those same ideals.
Though it doesn't specifically mention sexual orientation, some business owners fear it could lead to discrimination of gay or lesbian customers for religious reasons.
Mayor Buttigieg says Friday's gathering wasn't political, it was just a way for him to get the word out that he will not tolerate this kind of prejudice.
“We don't care where you're from, we don't care how you worship, we don't care what you look like and we don't care who you love. We care about you feeling welcome in this city and South Bend is open for business,” says Mayor Buttigieg.
The Mayor's Office says they're working on making stickers for South Bend businesses to put on their storefronts to show they're against the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.