In the wake of the severe negative backlash occurring in response to Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) signing into law by Governor Pence on March 26, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed spoke out against similar legislation being considered in Georgia.

Negative response to the Indiana bill comprises of organizations and major corporations including Angie’s List, the NCAA, the NBA, NASCAR, Yelp, Salesforce, Marriott and Apple speaking out against the bill. Because of this opposition, Indiana is projected to lose millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Although Governor Pence held a press conference today to attempt to “clarify” the bill, he came up short, and proposed nothing new regarding the bill.

Mayor Reed said that the he is not worried about Georgia: “I think that Georgia’s going to come out on the right side of that issue, which is to oppose that bill, but I don’t believe it’s going to pass.”

If passed, Georgia’s RFRA bill could undermine Atlanta’s non-discrimination laws, alloing individuals and private businesses to discriminate against gay and transgender Georgians under the guise of religion.

The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has already spoken out against the proposed RFRA, saying that it stands “together with Atlanta’s hospitality and business community in opposition to the implementation of any legislation which could be used to potentially discriminate and will continue to work to ensure that every visitor to our city continues to be welcomed warmly and in accordance with our standards for excellent customer service.”

The Atlanta hospitality industry generates over $13 billion in revenues each year and employs over 230,000 workers. Losing the support of such a lucrative industry could cause irreparable damage to Georgia’s economy.

Georgia’s RFRA bill is currently making its way through the General Assembly. A hearing previously scheduled for Monday, March 30 was cancelled this past weekend in response to the uproar in Indiana. A vote must be held before the Georgia General Assembly adjourns at midnight on Thursday, April 2.

We need to make sure that Georgia does not become the next Indiana. Reach out to your legislators and let them know that you oppose this destructive RFRA bill.