Although Jo Wade cannot attach a dollar amount to the damage done in the wake of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act's passage, Greater Lafayette's reputation as a welcoming community took a few hits.
One reason Laura Marland, a former West Lafayette resident, moved out of state last week was to "get away from the red state agenda," she said.
A group of about a hundred canceled a Lafayette reunion; individuals called or posted complaints on the visitors center's Facebook page; and some asked to be removed from its email list, said Wade, president and CEO of Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette.
A couple of local businesses even received messages from potential customers who decided to boycott.
While the local impact has cost less than the $2 million the state plans to spend on a publicity campaign to restore Indiana's image, local business owners, diversity leaders, pastors and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community say they felt the controversy here in a way that cannot be counted in dollars and cents.
Views range from LGBT members celebrating wider acceptance to RFRA supporters lamenting the law's forced "fix." Others say it polarized the local conversation, forcing people to choose sides on a controversial issue.
"I think what's happened here is what's happened a lot of other places: People tend to be polarized," said Barb Clark, co-facilitator of the Diversity Roundtable, the anti-discrimination and inclusion arm of Greater Lafayette Commerce. "They tend to only associate with people who agree with them and not associate with people who don't agree with them. That really works against the diversity in the community."
She said the issue has forced the Diversity Roundtable to re-evaluate its mission and the steering committee will have to decide whether it wants to function as a political action group or continue its work as an educational entity.
Fix the 'fix'
Opponents originally feared that the law would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Supporters denied this claim, saying the law meant to protect religious freedom. After Gov. Mike Pence signed the bill into law March 26, a national backlash ensued, forcing state legislators to clarify the intent with a RFRA "fix" or revision.
The revision, a separate bill that added new language to the act, eliminated the potential erosion of LGBT protections in Indiana communities that already had them, such as Tippecanoe County, Lafayette and West Lafayette. Pence signed the revision into law April 2, and it will take effect July 1.