Now, there’ s no need to rattle the system because the AJC.com reports that “efforts by some lawmakers to pass a new bill related to the “religious liberty” fight appear to have failed…after language aimed at corporations’ diversity policies got stripped out of the legislation”. Pinewood did not respond to a question about whether it would call on Deal to veto the bill. If it becomes law, HB 757 would allow any person or faith-based organization (including nonprofits, charities, schools, universities, and hospitals) to cite their “religious beliefs” as justification to discriminate against others, including LGBT Georgians. “We are confident that Governor Deal will not allow a discriminatory bill to become law in Georgia”, said the statement from Vans Stevenson, the MPAA senior vice president of state government affairs.
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Opponents like the Human Rights Campaign say it is “anti-LGBT” and “appalling”.
There are 38 signers of the letter, but some of the big names are Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway, Harvey Weinstein of Miramax and HBO, Matt Bomer, Kristen Chenoweth, Ryan Murphy, Aaron Sorkin, and Rob Reiner.
Disney and its subsidiary Marvel Studios pledged Wednesday to halt production in the state if the bill, which would legalize a “faith-based” refusal of services to LGBT people, becomes law.
Georgia has a generous tax incentive for filming, which has made it one of the most popular locations for production outside California and NY; film and television production are a robust part of the state’s economy.
CBS, Starz, Lionsgate, Sony, 21 Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Discovery, Viacom, MGM and Open Road Films also expressed their opposition to the bill.
If it were signed into law, the Free Exercise Protection Act could undermine Georgia’s intense effort to entice more Hollywood companies to do business in the state. It has filmed several movies there, including “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2”.
“We would be disappointed to see our pipeline of production end at the Georgia border because of this legislation”, said Amblin Partners, the studio helmed by Steven Spielberg.
The controversial bill, passed by the Georgia state legislature last week, declares that no pastor can be forced to perform a same-sex wedding.
A growing number of entertainment companies are calling on Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to veto the discriminatory HB 757 bill. The people of Georgia and the governor of Georgia have a tough decision to make. AMC, which films The Walking Dead in the state, gave credit to Governor Deal for his previous action, and joined their fellow companies in denouncing the legislation. AMC also avoided the b-word, saying instead that “AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible”.
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When the House and Senate can’t agree on a final bill, 3 members of each chamber are assigned to hash out their differences.
