In a piece examining the potential backlash Republicans might face nationally on LGBTQ+ issues, the Washington Post tells readers Conservatives Against Discrimination roundtable discussing “how gay and transgender issues are being talked about …. During the forum, former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, said he had seen firsthand the effects discriminatory bills can have. He was mayor in 2015 when then-Gov. Mike Pence and Republican lawmakers pushed for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allowed business owners to turn away gay and lesbian customers for religious reasons. ‘We became the focus of the nation,’ Ballard said. ‘That was very disturbing to me.’ The CEOs of Apple, Angie’s List, PayPal and other companies called on the state to repeal the law. Leaders at Visit Indy, the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau, eventually found that the law cost the state more than $60 million in convention business. ‘I believe in freedom. I believe in people’s rights to live their own lives without the pressure of government on them,’ Ballard said. ‘I try to send the message to other Republicans. … I would suggest to you that that was what the conservative movement was supposed to be about.’ ”
