Maybe I am jaded, or just have hit the right age to be a curmudgeon, but in my years of political, labor, and equal rights activism I have seen, on more than one occasion, actions that seem to be taken because they appear to be best for a particular group when the real intention that is actually ignored is that it is done in spite of that group.
I have seen actions taken that bring joy to a particular segment of the population because they have felt validated by the action, only to realize after the celebrations that they were bought so easily by impression over substance.
They are then later played because they have shown how easily they can be fooled.
House Bill 757 was passed in Georgia to protect “religious liberty” by allowing faith-based groups to deny services to GLBT individuals.
Then the Governor of Georgia said he would veto the highly discriminatory, ant-GLBT religious freedom bill, and the GLBT community is now praising him for his action and his acknowledgement of GLBT worth.
I read internet stories and posts that praise him for his enlightened attitude, and saying how the GLBT Community should be so happy with him.
Some even came across as suggestions to spend money in Georgia to show we appreciate the respect he showed.
What seems forgotten in the confetti throwing was that Disney, along with GM, Sony, Lionsgate, and 21st Century Fox, said it would stop filming movies in Georgia. Unilever said it would “reconsider investments”; the NFL said the bill could cost Atlanta the opportunity to host the Super Bowl; the CEO of Salesforce said the company can’t have a programs in a state with such a law; and Georgia Prospers, which represents over 480 companies including Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, UPS and Marriott, also denounced the Georgia bill.
Those are major companies with major financial stakes in Georgia.
Because of the financial advantages to filming in Georgia it has been dubbed the Hollywood of the South.
Director Aaron Sorkin, Anne Hathaway and Seth MacFarlane were signatories of a letter that stated,
“We have deep concerns about H.B. 757, We pride ourselves on running inclusive companies, and while we have enjoyed a positive partnership on productions in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere if any legislation sanctioning discriminations is signed into state law.”
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The company said in a written statement,
“We hope Governor Deal will veto bill HB 757 and not allow sanctioned bigotry to become law in Georgia.”
In 2015 Georgia reported $1.7 billion in in-state spending on film and television productions. Nearly 250 film and television pilots, series, and commercials were shot that year. Considering local businesses benefit from location filming, the total amount that was brought in directly and indirectly from movie and television production was $6 billion from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
The National Football League let it be known,
“NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of the many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.”
The announced veto will not happen out of respect for the state’s GLBT citizens. If such respect existed, the bill would have died before passage, so it is because of the out of state money that would stop coming in.
So, although I am happy the bill will be vetoed, even as sure as I am those who promoted it will rewrite it so the results will be the same but the wording such that boycotts will be avoided, I just can’t pick up my legs and do a happy dance because the acceptance of GLBT people won out.
It didn’t.
The need for those billions of dollars did.
Perhaps instead of praising the governor for bending to the will of the corporations and Hollywood types, we should be showing our gratitude towards the corporations and Hollywood types toward whom he bent.
And, we should be vigilant that, having come across as the good guy this time, the governor doesn’t too easily accept a modified and reworded bill that, while appearing to be innocuous, will be just as discriminatory.