Lines being drawn for Indiana’s next fight over LGBT rights – LGBTQ Nation

Months after a divisive religious objections law thrust Indiana into an unwanted national spotlight, gay rights supporters and religious conservatives are preparing for another potentially bitter debate — this time over enshrining LGBT protections into state law.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence and key leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature have gone to lengths to avoid publicly discussing the matter, even as Democrats plan to push legislation and several Indiana cities have considered adopting their own lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender protections. At the same time, religious conservatives are using a new tactic: raising concerns that children will be exposed to transgender people and what they say are sexual predators in public restrooms if the protections are approved.

No one with a stake in the issue — including a gay-rights coalition that includes many of Indiana‘s prominent businesses — says there’s much room for compromise. That sets the stage for what “could be a huge mess” when the Legislature convenes in January, said Paul Helmke, a public affairs professor at Indiana University and former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne. It also could have a lasting impact on Pence’s re-election bid next year.

Lines being drawn for Indiana’s next fight over LGBT rights