INDIANAPOLIS — Add Angie’s List to the roster of companies, business interests, and civic leaders taking a stand against Indiana’s new religious freedom law that critics charge is a “licenses to discriminate” against LGBT people.
The Indianapolis Star reports:
The continuing blowback over Indiana’s new “religious freedom” law hit home Saturday, with Indianapolis-based Angie’s List announcing it is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion.
The decision is a direct result of passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, co-founder and chief executive officer Bill Oesterle said Saturday.
The proposed expansion of the online consumer ratings service was touted to add 1,000 good-paying jobs over five years and help revitalize a struggling Eastside neighborhood.
Oesterle said in a statement the project was being put on hold “until we fully understand the implications of the freedom restoration act on our employees, both current and future.”
“Angie’s List is open to all and discriminates against none and we are hugely disappointed in what this bill represents,” he said.
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Outside Indianapolis, the measure signed Thursday by Gov. Mike Pence continued to generate widespread negative attention.
The latest criticism included a joint statement Saturday from the NBA, WNBA and the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever.
Business and civic leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Salersforce CEO Marc Benioff, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee, Seattle mayor Ed Murray, and LGBT rights activists have all condemned the law, so going so far as to block employees’ travel to the state.
