Indiana recently passed the highly controversial religious freedom bill into law, allowing for companies to refuse to service against homosexuals. Gaming & hobby convention, Gen Con owner Adrian Swartout urged the Governor to reconsider the bill before it became law. Now, that the law has passed the convention is considering not renewing their contract with the state in 2021.
In a letter to Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Gen Con LLC's CEO and owner Adrian Swartout, urging Pence to reconsider making SB 101 a law (via Polygon):
"Gen Con proudly welcomes a diverse attendee base, made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. We are happy to provide an environment that welcomes all, and the wide-ranging diversity of our attendees has become a key element to the success and growth of our convention.
"Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years.”
However, despite the risk of losing the Gen Con convention contract, the law was passed. Now Gen Con officials are reconsidering their contracts with the state after they end it expires in 2020.
In the meantime Swartout is telling attendees to only attend if they are comfortable:
"I hope that you'll join us at Gen Con, which will be inclusive and fun. Prospective attendees, if you don't feel comfortable attending, based upon your principals, we invite you to make the decision that feels right for you, your business, or group. We support your decision, regardless of the outcome."
Will you be attending Gen Con? What do you think of the new law? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
