Disney has taken a stand against Georgia's religious freedom legislation and threatened to stop making movies in the state if the bill was not dropped. Gov. Nathan Deal eventually vetoed the bill.
Georgia's House Bill 757, also known as the Pastor Protection Act and the Religious Freedom Protection Act, would have allowed Christians to turn down services and jobs to the LGBT community without being charged with discrimination. The bill sought to uphold religious freedom, but critics deemed it "anti-LGBT" and "appalling."
Texas Values president Jonathan Saenz finds it "striking" that churches in Georgia were told just a day after Easter that their freedoms are not that important to protect.
"It's clear that corporate giants like Apple, Disney, NCAA, Intel have finally come out of the closet and declared public war on the religious freedom of clergy and religious schools, as was the protection in Georgia's very modest HB 757 that they worked to bring down," he said in a statement.
Saenz describes these companies as "corporate bullies" that are trying to take away the power of the people. He even fears that Disney might soon ban people from wearing a cross while inside their parks, or prevent Catholic priests from taking a picture with Mickey Mouse unless his white collar is removed.
"This is how extreme the attacks now are on religious freedom, it's a zero tolerance policy for religious freedom," he said.
However, gay rights organisation Freedom For All Americans told NBC News that there is nothing wrong with Disney's actions, since HB 757 is very "misleading" and aims to do nothing more than "advance discrimination against LGBT people.
Dan Rafter, the group's spokesman, said religious freedom is already protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
"Disney is one of the hundreds of companies that recognised HB 757 would hurt LGBT Georgians and many others. Religious freedom is just as protected under the law today as it was yesterday, last month and last year. It's not under attack," said Rafter. "What HB 757 would have done, however, is expose the hundreds of thousands of LGBT Georgians — who already lack any statewide nondiscrimination protections — to even more harm."
