Gamers Threaten To Pull $50 Million Convention If Indiana Gov. Signs Anti-Gay Bill Into Law

[KamaAina]

http://www.newnownext.com/gamers-threaten-to-pull-50-convention-if-indiana-gov-signs-anti-gay-bill-into-law/03/2015/

Like Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon, organizers of a massive $50 million gamer convention have flown in to save the day—threatening to take their business elsewhere if Indiana governor Mike Pence signs SB 101, the controversial bill that would allow individuals to discriminate against LGBT people on religious grounds.

The Indiana House and Senate both passed the bill this week, so Pence’s signature is really the last stop before SB 101 becomes law. And he’s been drooling about signing for days.

“The legislation is about respecting and reassuring Hoosiers that their religious freedoms are intact,” Pence said this week in a statement, adding that he “look(s) forward to signing the bill when it reaches my desk.”

But now Adrian Swartout, chief executive officer of GenCon has sent a letter he sent to Pence, trumpeting the convention’s history of attracting “a diverse attendee base, made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.”

[RKP5637]

1. Excellent!!!!!

[iandhr]

2. People talk about how "sincere" their "deeply held beliefs" are.

Throw money into the picture those beliefs disappear.


9 out of 10 times people will go with their wallet.


That is why this is great.

[F4lconF16]

43. +1000 nt

[Dwayne Hicks]

3. Excellent news!

The NCAA should follow suit.

[KamaAina]

4. Good point!

The Superdome is probably available, since it isn't football season.

edit: Not that Louisiana is particularly LGBT-friendly, you understand.

[GreatGazoo]

8. +1

[Delphinus]

24. Excellent idea!

I'd not been keeping up with basketball, but if the NCAA could do it quickly, that would make a huge impact.

[Bobbie Jo]

54. Absolutely. nt

[Chiyo-chichi]

59. Too late to relocate the Final Four, but I assume you mean they should relocate their headquarters.

For that matter, a number of Olympic governing bodies have their headquarters in Indianapolis.

USA Gymnastics
USA Track & Field
U.S. Diving, Inc.
U.S. Synchronized Swimming


They should follow suit as well.

[Paladin]

5. Glad to hear it.

Economic pressure is sometimes all these hyper-conservative dingleberries understand.

[gregcrawford]

6. There's an old saying...

... that goes something like, "Your freedom ends where my nose begins." "Religious freedom" is the biggest crock of putrid pig shit I've ever heard of. And these mutants dare to call themselves "Christians"?!!? They defile every precept of Christianity.

The venomous malice that oozes from the pores of Right-wing religious zealots exudes an unspeakably sickening stench, and Pence reeks of it.

Prejudice cloaked in the blood-soaked shroud of religion is still nothing but low-life bigotry, and must never, EVER be allowed to supersede secular law. Our judicial system is quite corrupt enough, thank you very much.

Oh, and Governor Pence? If Christ were alive today, he'd kick your nuts through the top of your head.

[KamaAina]

9. "If Christ were alive today, he'd kick your nuts through the top of your head."

And they'd probably fit through his nostrils.

[bbgrunt]

22. epic!! k and r

[3catwoman3]

51. You have quite the way with words.

Well said.

[CatWoman]

7. worst. bill. EVER!!!

[derby378]

10. Gen Con, Dallas welcomes you with open arms

I know we're not the only ones, but I had to sneak that in.

[KamaAina]

11. Houston would actually be better

Their out lesbian mayor could give the welcoming remarks.

[KatyMan]

66. Well, Houston is always preferable to Dallas <ducks>

[matt819]

70. Consider the opportunities

There are any number of communities that could use this as a marketing ploy to draw business from IN. The question, in part, is how willing organizations are going to be to incur the cost of moving offices, people, etc. I think moving convention business is a great start. Maybe noises from the sports leagues and even the Indianapolis 500 would help. The dunce of a governor may have commitments in hand from like-minded businesses to say and do nothing. But he may also be counting on businesses choosing not to incur the costs of moving. Let's hope he's wrong.

[LanternWaste]

12. I'll second your sneak.

I'll second your sneak.

GenCon in DFW would be spending way too much money on miniatures I never use and source books I never read.

[derby378]

16. It would definitely help one of my old friends get his new RPG off the ground

He lives in Denton, about an hour NW of Dallas, but he's helped create a new steampunk RPG for Troll Lord Games. The Kickstarter project was a big success, and I'm proud to be one of the "high-money" donors. Now all they have to do is beta-test it a wee bit more and print up the books and materials for the backers first and the stores second.

[oberliner]

13. Homophobic language runs rampant among gamers

Perhaps organizers of said gaming convention ought to address that problem as well.

[liberal_at_heart]

15. agreed. Misogyny needs to be addressed as well.

[Dopers_Greed]

18. GenCon is a tabletop gaming convention

Totally different crowd from the teenage homophobes playing online video games.

Please know what you are talking about.

[Amimnoch]

29. heh, you beat me to it.. took the words right out of my mouth.

[oberliner]

30. No kidding

If you don't think homophobic language runs rampant in that community than you truly do not know what you are talking about.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

45. I hadn't heard of rampant homophobia in the board gaming community.

Where can I read about it?

[rhett o rick]

50. I am interested. Do you have any proof? nm

[RandiFan1290]

58. You are full of it

as usual

Good For You, Sir

[Codeine]

60. Weird. I'm part of that community

and have been since 1980. The RPG folks I know were the first people I ever encountered who accepted gay and transgender gamers with open arms. The most tolerant, trans-friendly discussion forum I use is an RPG gaming forum; people there come down on any HINT of homo/transphobia with both feet.

[DonCoquixote]

56. some of us play both

and we are tired of these idiot posers boys mugging it up for the media to get attention. We consider the homophobes idiots, and ostracize them, which is why they are mugging for the media.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Whole different set of games, gamers, cultures and traditions. Did you read the statement from

their guy? Does that sound like the spokesman for a culture with rampant homophobia to you?

[1StrongBlackMan]

25. LOL ...

Is the comment you're responding to a heterosexist version of Issue Deflection Technique #864: "If {Insert Name (of Black "spokesperson" ... most typically, Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson) Here} is so concerned about "Black Lives", why don't they address "Black on Black crime"?"

[oberliner]

33. Different from what?

Homophobic language runs rampant in this community. It is a big problem and has been since the early days. Speaking as someone who has played these games in my early youth, I can attest to this issue from personal experience.

[Codeine]

61. Maybe you just had shitty friends? nt

[Starry Messenger]

62. You mean 40 or 50 years ago? nt.

[backscatter712]

21. Some of the gaming and geek convention organizers are on it!

One organizer I know personally absolutely will not tolerate that shit in her con.

[oberliner]

35. That is great

More power to them!

[AlbertCat]

28. said gaming convention ought to address that problem as well.

Uh....


Seems like this IS addressing it.


Just sayin'

[oberliner]

34. Have you been to one such convention?

If so, do you think the problem is being addressed at the player level?

[Dopers_Greed]

40. Is it a player that's signing, or voting for, the anti-gay bill?

Nope.

What do you want them to do then? Put a mic on every attendee of the convention and ban them for life if they call someone a "fag"? Make every attendee sign a pledge to support LGBT rights?

Basically, I'm saying it's unreasonable to expect the convention to address it at the player level. Unless one player got hostile with another over sexual orientation, in which case they probably would get kicked out.

[ncjustice80]

42. Arent these the trolls behind #gamergate ???

Gamers are notorious for racist, sexist, and homphobic language

[LondonReign2]

44. No, they are not

GenCon is, primarily, the tabletop D&D folks, with lots of other tabletops added in.

[daleanime]

68. No....

that describes a certain section of gamers just like teabaggers describes a certain section of Americans.

[blackspade]

47. Actually GenCon has addressed this for several years running.

Know the people about whom you speak.

[liberal_at_heart]

14. good for them.

[ieoeja]

17. GenCon, that big city you passed through on your way from WI to Indy...? n/t

[hamsterjill]

19. How wonderful that GenCon has done this, and done it quickly!

Good for them! I wish more organizations could speak with one clear voice as quickly as this was done!

[vkkv]

23. Religious "freedom" to discriminate..legally.. wow.

I never thought that our country could be that screwed up.

[matt819]

26. This is a start

However, not all businesses can respond in this way to the vile discriminatory legislation.

So, if these sorts of laws are enacted, let the free market work its wonders. Take to the local newspapers identifying those businesses discriminating against, well, against anyone. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, other social media. Just post, and keep on posting, that this business or that is discriminating. You can envision the tit for tat wars that will ensue, but, hey, that's free speech at work. As another post observed, let's see how they maintain their deeply held beliefs in the face of boycotts and active "discrimination" by customers who have a conscience.

[Faux pas]

27. ...

and Hur-rah!

[progressoid]

31. Rec!

[Hekate]

32. Amazing what a big voice money has, and for once it's on our side. nt

[Enthusiast]

36. Indiana........

[KamaAina]

37. Indiana wants me

Lord, I can't go back there...

[Enthusiast]

38. Yup.

[AngryOldDem]

39. Pence is signing the bill tomorrow

http://fox59.com/2015/03/25/gov-pence-to-sign-religious-freedom-bill-thursday-in-private-ceremony/

(Excuse the Fox link, but the Fox affiliate is the only local news on here right now.)

Nothing like watching a state commit economic suicide. These convention organizers and businesses aren't bluffing. I was hoping that Pence would learn from Jan Brewer's example and veto it, but no.

I must say this: As someone who has seen both the governor and the general assembly up close and personal, this is the biggest bunch of morons I have EVER seen in my 54 years on earth. It is very doubtful that they would be able to pass a remedial junior high civics class, the way they all run this state. Note, however, this does not include Democratic leadership and members, but when there is a supermajority in both houses, the Democrats are nonexistent.

The fundies -- the poor, persecuted, misunderstood, put-upon fundies -- have won yet again. Praise Jay-sus!

[stillwaiting]

41. I'll need to start keeping track of which states to boycott no doubt.

My financial resources will reward those states/areas that don't continue to actively oppress me.

I'll be able to RELAX on my vacations much, much easier knowing that there are fewer bigots around me.

[blackspade]

46. As an attendee, This will be my last year in Indy if Pence signs

Maybe they will move it to Louisville. We would love to have it.

[Chiyo-chichi]

64. Doesn't Kentucky have a similar statute?

In his signing statement, Pence said "At present, nineteen states—including our neighbors in Illinois and Kentucky—have adopted Religious Freedom Restoration statutes."

Kentucky's similar bill was vetoed by the governor, but the veto was over-ridden if I recall correctly.

[blackspade]

65. True, but I don't think it is quite as crazy.

However, like IN's law, it was a solution in search of a problem.
KY's came out of a court case about caution plackards on Amish buggies that went all the way to the State SC.
What was weird is that the ACLU represented the Amish but opposed the legislation that arose from the case.

[hifiguy]

48. Geek Power!

We nerds in the various and numerous fandoms spend a lot of money. We're also a ridiculously diverse set of diverse communities. This is hitting the turds where they live and where they will feel it the most.

[Zorra]

49. That's just so good.

When the Power of Love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

~ Jimi Hendrix

[oberliner]

52. Those bogus quotes are all over the web and Hendrix never said them

WHAT HENDRIX NEVER SAID

http://www.rockprophecy.com/hendrix_quotes_hoax.html

[Takket]

53. never been to GenCon but....

I was really thinking of going this year. Every year they have the world championships there for a card game I play. If this bill is passed, I think I will write a letter to GenCon saying I would go but I will not because I will not bring my business to Indiana. You know, just a little nudge to encourage them that they are on the right track with moving...

[Initech]

55. Good news everyone!

[Cha]

57. I call bullshit on Pence.. "..The legislation is about respecting and reassuring Hoosiers that their

religious freedoms are intact..”

Good on the Gamers! Too bad they're contracted through 2020, though. Remember when what's her name.. Gov of AZ didn't sign?

Mahalo, KA

[DeSwiss]

63. I have little doubt he'll sign it.

He has too. He's the top dickhead in TP Indiana and without him the TP will wilt. And as the EXODUS of $$$$$$ begins to leave over time, then he'll just blame it on the Gay Mafia run by Obama (of course) and whip-up his band-of-TP-idiots in time for another term.

- Trained sheeple are the best investment over the long run......

K&R

[marmar]

67. Hit 'em where it hurts.

[riversedge]

69. Well it is the Law now. Lets hope it is not an empty threat like

Rush L who threatened to leave the US if aca was law (or was it if Obama was re-elected). ?

[LondonReign2]

71. Too bad they can't move it back to Wisconsin, but you know, Scott Walker

Maybe Minneapolis

[napkinz]

72. K&R

nt