Latest news with #RFRA
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
How Nick Offerman responded to a homophobic meme of his 'Parks and Rec' character
Ron Swanson once had some harsh words for frozen yogurt, calling it the "celery of desserts." But actor Nick Offerman had even harsher words for Michael Flynn Jr. The son of former national security advisor Michael Flynn adapted a "Parks and Recreation" meme of Offerman's character to diss Pride Month. A popular animated GIF of Offerman on the show, set in the fictional Pawnee, Indiana, shows his character throwing his computer in a dumpster. The version Flynn Jr. posted to X has a rainbow flag over the computer. Offerman wasn't having it. "Ron was best man at a gay wedding you dumb f---. #HappyPride," Offerman wrote in response to Flynn's post. Offerman has a long history of calling out homophobia. A decade ago, after then-Gov. Mike Pence signed the Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, he and his wife, Megan Mullaly, canceled an Indiana stop on their tour. Offerman also had a solo show scheduled at Indiana University, and he kept that date, donating his proceeds to the Human Rights Campaign. Advocates were concerned that Indiana's RFRA law would allow discrimination against LGBTQ+ people under the guise of protecting the right to practice religion. In 2023, the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" actor starred in an acclaimed episode of "The Last of Us" as Bill, a gruff survivalist who falls in love with Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. Speaking with i News, Offerman shared that he received "a lot of homophobic hate" about the episode via social media, despite critics hailing it as a highlight of the season. When Offerman won a Film Independent Spirit Award for the role in 2024, he called out this homophobic hate in his speech. "When homophobic hate comes my way and says, 'Why did you have to make it a gay story?' we say, 'Because you ask questions like that,'" he said, adding, "It's not a gay story, it's a love story." RFRA a decade later: The inside story on how a Pence-era bill created a crisis in Indiana In Season 4, Episode 9 of "Parks and Recreation," Ron is confused about personalized ads showing up on his computer. Horrified to learn that the computer knows who he is, and that his home appears on Google Maps, Ron takes his computer outside and throws it in the dumpster. Indiana on TV: Return to Hawkins with 'Stranger Things' Season 5 release this fall. When it's on
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Supreme Court Won't Hear Tribal Challenge to Copper Mine
The U.S. Supreme Court on May 27 turned away an appeal by Apache Indians who want to stop a copper mine from being developed on land they consider sacred. The court's decision in Apache Stronghold v. United States took the form of an unsigned order. The court did not explain its ruling. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented, saying the court should have considered whether the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) applies to the mine development. Justice Samuel Alito did not participate in the case. Resolution Copper, which plans to develop the site, Western Apaches have worshipped for centuries on a small sacred site in Arizona known as Oak Flat, which they consider to be a 'direct corridor to the Creator and the locus of sacred ceremonies that cannot take place elsewhere,' Apache Stronghold, a tribal organization, said in its The land is part of the Tonto National Forest, which is overseen by the U.S. Forest Service. Related Stories 3/12/2025 2/25/2025 Although the government had long protected Apache rituals at the site, its stance changed after copper was discovered there, according to the petition. The government moved to transfer the site to Resolution Copper to create a mine there 'that will undisputedly destroy Oak Flat—swallowing it in a massive crater and ending sacred Apache rituals forever,' the petition said. Apache Stronghold contested the decision, citing the RFRA and the Constitution's free exercise clause. A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the lawsuit in May 2024 after a federal district court denied a request to block the land transfer. The district court found Apache Stronghold's lawsuit was not likely to succeed. The RFRA was created to safeguard the constitutional right of minority religious groups to exercise their religious beliefs. The statute forbids the federal government from 'substantially burdening' religious exercise unless doing so is deemed to be the least restrictive means of advancing a compelling government interest. Although the appeals court acknowledged that the destruction of Oak Flat would 'literally prevent' the Apaches from participating in practicing their religion, it still found that developing the mine would not substantially interfere with their religious exercise under the RFRA, the petition said. In his 'No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground. To extract copper lying beneath the land, they plan to blast tunnels that will result in a crater perhaps 1,000 feet deep and nearly two miles wide.' The development will prevent the Apaches from ever using the site again for religious worship, and it is 'a grave mistake' for the Supreme Court to reject the case, which 'meets every one of the standards we usually apply when assessing petitions' for review, Gorsuch wrote. 'The decision below is highly doubtful as a matter of law, it takes a view of the law at odds with those expressed by other federal courts of appeals, and it is vitally important. Before allowing the government to destroy the Apaches' sacred site, this Court should at least have troubled itself to hear their case,' the justice said. Then-Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in a The district court was correct to find that the congressional authorization for the land transfer was a 'valid and neutral law of general applicability' that 'merely authorizes the exchange of land' between Resolution Copper and the federal government. That court also determined that the land exchange would not 'substantially burden' religious exercise under the RFRA, the brief said.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia governor signs ‘religious freedom' bill, vowing the state still is ‘no place for hate'
Sen. Ed Setzler pitches his RFRA bill at an April 1 press conference. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp kicked off the final day of the 2025 legislative session by signing Senate Bill 36, also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), into law, appeasing some Georgian residents who have been calling for stronger protections under state law for free exercise of religion. The bill mirrors federal legislation that has been in place since 1993, and imposes new restrictions on state and local governments' ability to 'substantially burden a person's exercise of religion' unless it is 'in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest.' It gained final passage out of the House on April 2 in a 96-70 vote that fell largely along party lines. Democrats in particular have opposed the bill, arguing that without statewide civil rights protections, a RFRA law would allow Georgians greater leeway to discriminate against LGBTQ people and religious minorities. Establishing new religious protections under state law has been a goal of the Georgia GOP since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015. The bill's sponsor, Acworth Republican Sen. Ed Setzler, first introduced the legislation nearly a decade ago during the 2016 legislative session. The same year, a similar religious freedom bill passed out of the Georgia Legislature, but was ultimately vetoed by then-Governor Nathan Deal, who said he wanted to keep Georgia 'a welcoming state.' Prior to Deal's veto, some of Georgia's largest employers, including Coca Cola and Delta Air Lines, warned that the RFRA bill that the Legislature passed would create a law that made recruiting essential workers more difficult. In a speech immediately after signing the bill, Kemp downplayed concerns that the bill could increase discrimination, drawing parallels between RFRA and legislation from previous sessions aimed at combating hate crimes in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery's murder and heightening statewide protections against antisemitism. 'Today I signed SB 36, also known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, ensuring that once again at the state level, that Georgians are protected, including Georgians of faith,' he said. 'I wanted to let everybody know that despite signing that legislation, Georgia still remains a state that has no place for hate, and I can assure all Georgians of that today.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Kemp signs religious freedom bill into law
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday signed the religious freedom bill that advocates said was needed to protect people of faith but critics said could be used to discriminate. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Acworth Republican state Sen. Ed Setzler, who sponsored the bill, insisted it was necessary to protect people of faith from what he called unwarranted government intrusion. Kemp previously said in a statement that he would sign the version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, that passed the House on Wednesday. 'I have always maintained that I would support and sign a version of RFRA which mirrors the language and protections provided by federal law since 1993,' he wrote on X. 'My commitment to that promise and to the deeply held beliefs of Georgians of faith remains unwavering. I also want to assure those of differing views that Georgia remains a welcoming place to live, work, and raise a family. The bill was opposed by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and similar to one that was vetoed in 2016 amid concerns from Georgia businesses that it would hurt tourism and the ability to attract workers to the state. House Minority Leader Carolyn Hughley has said she believes the bill will hurt businesses and people. 'If Georgia wants to remain the No. 1 state to do business, why would you do this? Because it's simply a license to discriminate, and our caucus is going fight vigorously against it,' Hughley said. RELATED STORY: Georgia House passes religious freedom bill with 2 days left in legislative season [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Long-stalled ‘religious freedom' legislation gets Georgia GOP blessing
Sen. Ed Setzler holds a RFRA rally the day before his bill passed the House. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder On the penultimate day of the 2025 legislative session, some religious Georgians had their prayers answered. A so-called religious freedom bill is on Gov. Brian Kemp's desk after the House approved it 96-70 along mostly party lines late Wednesday night. A Georgia religious freedom restoration act, or RFRA bill, has been a goal of the Georgia GOP since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015. Senate Bill 36 by Acworth Republican Sen. Ed Setzler places restrictions on state and local governments' ability to 'substantially burden a person's exercise of religion' unless it is 'in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest' and even then only if they use the 'least restrictive means of furthering such compelling governmental interest.' Cedartown Republican Rep. Trey Kelley said that means religious Georgians will have their rights protected from state and local governments the same way they are protected from the federal government under the First Amendment. A federal version passed in 1993. 'What this measure simply looks to do is codify the same balancing test for our exercise of religious freedom that the other four First Amendment rights have,' he said. 'This should be something that we can agree to. We got a lot we can fight about. This should be something we can agree to.' Democrats largely disagreed. Opponents like Duluth Democratic Rep. Ruwa Romman say the bill would amount to a license to discriminate against those religious minorities and LGBTQ Georgians. 'I think a lot about what if a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf is in a workplace and her boss decides to fire her because it offends his faith?' said Romman, who is Muslim. 'What if, for example, somebody is praying, takes five minutes to pray during the day, and their boss says, 'you know what, you don't believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and I'm going to fire you. It is my business, I should be able to do that.' And to some extent, there are already allowances for that to begin with. To me, the negatives far outweigh any potential benefits' Democrats attempted to add an amendment to the effect that the law could not be used to discriminate but Republicans rejected it. The state's only currently-serving Jewish lawmaker, Sandy Springs Democratic Rep. Esther Panitch, said the law could allow discrimination against Jews if it came from a sincere religious belief. Panitch said determining the motivation of antisemitic acts would mean more work for courts. 'Each case will require an extensive analysis of whether antisemitic expression is truly motivated by sincere religious beliefs,' she said. 'The result is that secular antisemitism faces consequences while religiously motivated antisemitism receives protections.' Both Romman and Panitch predicted RFRA could mean religious carveouts to the state's abortion law. Panitch said Jews believe life begins at birth rather than at conception as state law says, and Romman said Islam prioritizes saving the life of a mother and the RFRA bill would make it impossible to live out that mandate. Avondale Estates Democratic Rep. Karla Drenner, who became the Legislature's first openly-LGBTQ member when she took office in 2001, read from the speech she read opposing a RFRA bill in 2016. 'I must note that the irony of debating the bill that licenses prejudice against my community in the city too busy to hate is not lost on me,' she said. 'I oppose – back then it was House Bill 757, today it's Senate Bill 36 – I oppose it for any number of reasons. It says that my rights under the constitution, under the law and under God are not inalienable but rather are subject to the opinions of others.' In a surprise move, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed that year's RFRA bill. Drenner also took a swipe at a slate of red meat bills she suggested were signs of weakness in the GOP. 'This year, we have let the other chamber that's running for governor run our chamber over here, from my perspective,' she said. 'We've done all these terrible bills, from my perspective.' Republican representatives took the opposite view. 'I got a little frustrated over there when I was listening, this is dealing with government burdening the free exercise of religion in this state,' said Bremen Republican Rep. Tyler Paul Smith. 'This is not a license for a private citizen to use this against another private citizen.' Dawsonville Republican Rep. Will Wade said the measure will reaffirm Georgians' bedrock religious freedoms. 'Senate Bill 36 simply gives people of all faiths, all faiths, their day in court if they believe the government has overreached,' he said. 'Over half of the states – we've heard it today, 39 now, we can be the 40th – It is time that Georgia provide the same safeguards that 39 other states in our country have for their citizens. We are a state very rich in diversity, I think that's what makes it better.' Kemp has 40 days from Friday to sign, and has indicated he will do so. 'I want to congratulate those who worked for the passage of SB 36,' he said in a statement. 'I have always maintained that I would support and sign a version of RFRA which mirrors the language and protections provided by federal law since 1993. My commitment to that promise and to the deeply held beliefs of Georgians of faith remains unwavering. I also want to assure those of differing views that Georgia remains a welcoming place to live, work, and raise a family.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
