Some heavy-hitters in the entertainment industry are publicly condemning a “religious liberty” bill in Georgia that they believe will legalize discrimination against the LGBT community.
Thirty-eight celebrities, in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign, sent a letter to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal Thursday urging him to nix House Bill 757, which he must either sign into law or veto by May 3.
Some of the famous names on the letter include actresses Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore and Marissa Tomei, actor Matt Bomer, writer and producer Lee Daniels, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn, writer Aaron Sorkin and film studio executive Harvey Weinstein.
“As leaders in the entertainment industry, we have deep concerns about H.B. 757, which would sanction discrimination against LGBT people and others in Georgia,” the letter reads.
“… 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 discrimination is signed into state law. We urge you to veto H.B. 757 and send a strong message that Georgia will not tolerate discrimination against citizens, employees and visitors to the state,” it concludes.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin cheered the industry leaders who stood up against the bill.
“We applaud the dozens of leaders from the entertainment industry who are taking a stand today against discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry,” he said in a statement. “The entertainment industry has a huge economic footprint in Georgia, and the choice for Gov. Deal could not be any clearer: He must veto this outrageous legislation before it inflicts tremendous damage on the state. This outrageous and discriminatory legislation is an affront to the values we all share.”
Georgia has become prime real estate for shooting movies and television shows because of lucrative production incentives and tax credits that are friendly to Hollywood, plus the construction of impressive new studio facilities.
One such studio that films its projects in the Peach State is Marvel, which shoots some of its movies at Pinewood Studios outside Atlanta. The Walt Disney Company, which owns Marvel Studios, voiced its displeasure about the bill on Wednesday.
“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law,” a Disney spokesman told Entertainment Weekly.
Other companies are coming out against the bill as well, including the Weinstein Company and Time Warner.
“The Weinstein Company will not stand behind sanctioning the discrimination of LGBT people or any American,” a Weinstein spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly. “We have plans in place to begin filming Lee Daniels’ new film in Georgia later this year, but will move the production if this unlawful bill is enacted. We hope Gov. Deal will veto bill H.B. 757 and not allow sanctioned bigotry to become law in Georgia.”
Time Warner, which owns Warner Bros. and HBO, expressed a similar sentiment.
“All of our divisions — HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner — have business interests in Georgia, but none more than Turner, an active participant in the Georgia Prospers campaign, a coalition of business leaders committed to a Georgia that welcomes all people,” the company said in a statement. “Georgia bill H.B. 757 is in contradiction to this campaign, to the values we hold dear and to the type of workplace we guarantee to our employees. We urge Gov. Deal to exercise his veto.”
Supporters of religious liberty laws argue that they protect individuals from being vilified due to their religious beliefs, but the opposition believe these laws just serve to legalize bigotry, specifically against the LGBT community.
Earlier Thursday, North Carolina legislators approved a bill that overturned anti-discrimination laws approved by Charlotte, the state’s largest city, in February. The new law specified that transgender people must only use the bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificates.
