State Sen. Richard Madaleno entered the debate about a controversial Indiana law Tuesday night by sending a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan asking that he ban travel to Indiana using state resources.
It wasn’t well-received by the governor—who didn’t appreciate a line about his wife’s previous divorce.
“Your family, an exemplary ambassador for the State of Maryland, could be denied service due to a random business person, waiter, or clerk’s objection to the First Lady’s previous divorce,” Madaleno, a Montgomery County Democrat who represents District 18, wrote.
The new Indiana law, called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, may allow for-profit businesses in the state to turn away customers based on the owners’ personal or religious beliefs and it can be used as a defense in lawsuits brought by individuals against a business for doing so, according to this break-down of the legislation in The Atlantic.
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On Wednesday, a Hogan spokesman told The Daily Record the governor stopped reading the letter when he got to the line about his wife. The spokesman said Hogan is opposed to discrimination in all forms and added, “Political stunts like this are precisely what Maryland voters rejected in last year’s election,” according to the news report.
Madaleno, an openly gay member of the General Assembly, responded in an interview with Bethesda Beat Wednesday that he’s disappointed by Hogan’s reaction.
“I’m disappointed that he believes this is a political stunt,” Madaleno said. “This law in Indiana puts Maryland families at risk for public humiliation.”
About the reference to Hogan’s wife, Yumi, Madaleno said the line was an attempt to show how “insidious this law is.”
“It isn’t just about gay and lesbian couples. It puts lots of people at risk,” Madaleno said.
The letter noted a business owner in Indiana could deny service to Marylanders because of their “marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, appearance, or a myriad of other excuses.”
Madaleno said that it’s not a stunt to ask Hogan to ban travel using state resources to the Midwestern state, considering that other governors have already done so.
“The governors of Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Washington state and the mayor of D.C. all have said they’re not going to allow travel to Indiana while that law is in place,” Madaleno said.
Although the exact legal ramifications of the law would depend on court interpretations, critics interpret it as a way to allow business owners to refuse service to individuals based on their personal beliefs and not face any legal consequences for doing so.
“When other states pass these prejudicial laws, Maryland needs to stand up for our values,” Madaleno wrote. “Indiana may have taken our Colts; they cannot be allowed to trample our principles.”
Gov Hogan tells WBAL Radio Sen Madaleno should be ashamed of himself for including his wife in his letter.
— David Collins (@dcollinsWBAL) April 1, 2015
Photo of Gov. Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi via Maryland.gov
