I believe in equality for all people. I believe that every human being has the right to the pursuit and attainment of life, liberty and happiness, no matter their beliefs. This tenet is one I feel especially passionate about as it applies to the LGBT community. The recent conversation regarding Indiana’s RFRA law, which goes into effect in July, has sparked quite a few debates in my predominantly liberal social media feed.
Even Gov. Daniel Malloy, the governor of the state I live in, Connecticut, has spoken passionately about the law that Gov. Mike Pence signed into law last week. He made Connecticut the first state to ban state-funded travel to Indiana and urged other states to do the same. As a result, Kevin Ollie, the coach of the UConn men’s basketball team, will not be traveling to the Final Four in Indiana to show support for Malloy’s ban.
When Chik-fil-A, a company who has openly contributed to groups opposed to LGBT rights, announced they were coming to my hometown, I made the decision that I would not be patronizing their establishment. In a sense, I have boycotted their company, much as I have boycotted the Salvation Army for their anti-gay hiring practices.
As a human being, I support companies with similar views to my own and I give money to those that share my belief that love is love. I also have no issue withholding my hard earned spending dollars from companies who use their love of God and scripture as a foundation for hatred. In doing so, my boycott is a personal choice.
While I understand and support the intention behind the boycotting of travel to Indiana (or any of the other 19 states with RFRA laws, including my own), I can’t help but think of the people that live in those states, who are the targets of the discriminatory laws that are in or going into effect, and how a broad stroked boycott can affect them.
Discrimination, at its foundation, is an action based on personal belief. No matter the law, the onus is upon each of us to treat one another with love and respect. It is only when we love and respect each other, regardless of our race, creed or sexual orientation, that we can make a real difference in our lives and in the lives of others.
Chronicles of Controlled Chaos 
Well said. If you believe in a boycott, by all means, go ahead and do so. But never forget those that are directly affected; they are the innocent bystanders in all this and are the ones adversely affected by the machinations of those forcing their bigotry on the state as a whole.
I also understand the boycott and support its intention, but I agree with you that this must be challenging for all the people in the affected states who don’t agree with the discriminatory legislation. So much hatred and division in the world today. It makes you wonder if we’re ever going to move towards the love and respect you mention nstead of wallowing in conflict and acrimony, Very thoughtful and thought-provoking post–thank you.
I’ve been going crazy with the huge number of Facebook posts about this subject and how blindly I think some are when they say it’s not discrimination, it’s freedom and that discrimination isn’t hate. Like you I vote my pleasure and or displeasure with my dollars and think it’s a good tool. Some innocents will suffer no doubt, sadly that’s seems to be the only way our country has ever moved forward. Some suffer for the benefit of others, be it civil rights, women rights, or Gay rights. Someone has to lead, what troubles me most is how much support there is nationally for some of these horrific laws that target certain groups of people and how blind people are to what we’ve already been through and how far backward I think we’re going in some areas.