I recently had to write an article for my school's paper about what's currently happening in Georgia, and my research surprised me. It’s amazing (and by that I mean horrible) how LGBTQA+ discrimination still exists in 2016 in one of the most progressive countries in the world. However, we have always been behind when it comes to representing the queer community. The Supreme Court only legalized gay marriage last year, which is years behind other countries such as Canada, which legalized it ten years ago. So any forms of legislation that hinder this progress should be dealt with swiftly by the communities in which they exist. Why our society allows for this oppression to continue is something questioned every day.
Disney, though, has decided to stop asking questions and instead take action against those that try to keep us in the dark ages. They have threatened to stop filming in Georgia if the governor signs a controversial “religious liberty” bill. This action would severely cripple Georgia’s film industry which has taken off in recent years due to tax incentives offered to studios, which helps offset actors’ salaries. These are things not offered in California’s film tax credit program and many studios have flocked to the Peach State, with AMC’s The Walking Dead being the most notable show filmed there. In 2015 alone, 248 film and television productions were being shot in Georgia which equaled about $1.7 billion in spending.
The Free Exercise Protection Act would allow religious officials and faith-based organizations to deny services that violate a “sincerely held religious belief.” In this case, critics say the bill would allow officials to legally deny the rights of queer people because their beliefs see them as sinners. Disney and Marvel, while they’ve had good experiences filming in Georgia and are currently filming Guardians of the Galaxy 2 there, plan to move their business to new locations if these discriminatory practices become state law. The bill was passed by Georgia lawmakers already, but Governor Nathan Deal has until May 3rd to decide if he’s going to sign it. He's already resisted previous versions of the bill before, so hopefully he is not pressured into signing this one.
This entire situation brings up the notion of separation of church and state which is a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson and other founders when writing the Constitution. It connects with the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of our First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It was created to limit the power the Federal Government had in terms of religion to ensure that religious freedom could exist in our country. But what about the opposite? What about a law limiting the power of religious communities to ensure that the freedoms of those they oppose are not compromised?
Separation of church and state should go both ways because conflicts always have more than one side involved in them and one side shouldn’t be favored over the other if fairness and justice really exist in our country. It’s a concept that’s even explored in Disney Pixar’s Zootopia in a scene showing an elephant business owner refusing to serve a customer because of his right to deny service to those he deemed unworthy, in this case the “shady” fox. Even a kid’s movie acknowledges the discrimination that abounds in America and around the world. It doesn’t matter whether it’s religious, cultural, racial, or gender discrimination – negative bias of any kind should not come into factor when it comes to professional work. Believe in what you want and do what you want with your personal life because that’s your prerogative and that’s your freedom, but don’t let it bleed over into your professional life and get in the way of how you treat your customers or clients. Because by doing that, you’re taking away their freedom.
At the time I wrote the article earlier this month, other studios had been silent on the issue but, the fact that the world’s largest entertainment company is leading this charge is causing a rippling effects on the industry and making waves in support of the LGBTQA+ community, hopefully stopping other discriminatory legislation from being passed. AMC has recently come out to openly support Disney's and Marvel's decision, although they, themselves, have not made threats to stop filming The Walking Dead. Although not as definitive as Disney's statement, AMC's opinion will not be taken lightly since the show has created tons of jobs, increased tourism, and benefited the housing market in Georgia.
Hopefully this will be enough to stop this type of legislature from being passed and I urge anyone with social media to spread the word about what's going on. Negative feedback can only help in getting it shut down and laid to rest for good.
