The act would allow businesses that claim they have faith-based objections to gay people, to refuse to provide services to them if they say it violates their beliefs.
There have been increasing calls for Hollywood to boycott Georgia if the act becomes law, something that has particular relevance to the state, as over the past few years it has made huge efforts to lure Tinsel Town to the area with tax breaks and other incentives. The LA Times reports that during 2015, 248 film and television productions shot in Georgia, representing $1.7 billion in spending.
It appears that some in Hollywood are heeding the boycott calls, with Disney already threatening to avoid Georgia. They issued a statement saying, “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.”
Disney has used Georgia extensively for its Marvel movies, with Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War using the state, and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 currently shooting there.
AMC Networks, which films The Walking Dead in Georgia has also said, “As a company, AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible. We applaud Governor Deal’s leadership in resisting a previous version of this divisive legislation and urge him to reject the current version as well.”
The law is bad news for the production facilities in the state, such as the new, 700 acre Pinewood Studios Atlanta, which has been keen to say that it, “actively promotes equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace.”
Hopefully the Governor will once more see sense and veto the bill.
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