The Republican governor signed a “fix” to the bill last year that was intended to keep LGBT people from being discriminated against in localities that have laws preventing it, but ThinkProgress pointed out there’s a loophole even in the compromise. A study from the Center for American Progress estimated that the bill’s passage took a $250 million toll on the state. (Mississippi’s House Bill 1523, passed in March, was recently overturned by a federal court.) RFRA was an economic disaster for the state, with 12 conventions pulling out of Indiana in protest of the law. Pence became a national lightning rod in 2015 for signing into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the first domino in a wave of “religious liberty” bills introduced nationwide. Mike Pence, who also built his career on restricting abortion rights, is a bad choice for LGBT people - and everyone else. Although Pence made headlines last year for passing legislation that would allow businesses to deny services to people based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Indiana governor has a long history of opposing LGBT equality under the guise of religious freedom and family values. “It’s a great privilege for me to be your governor,” Pence said, adding that he “will not support legislation that diminishes religious freedom.”īut for anyone familiar with Pence’s record on LGBT people, you don’t need to ask: The Tea Party favorite, who Donald Trump announced on Twitter Friday would be his running mate, has one of the most virulently anti-gay records of any government official. He offered yet another trademark non-answer. “In a simple yes or no answer, do you believe that gay and transgender people should be able to be fired from their jobs just for that reason?” an audience member inquired. More recently, he was asked the question during a town hall on February 11. The Indiana governor was repeatedly asked about his stance on the issue during a 2015 interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.” Stephanopoulos posed the question eight times. Mike Pence won’t say whether he believes it’s OK to discriminate against LGBT people.