Major Hollywood stars sign letter against Georgia's controversial religious bill
Hollywood is beginning to turn on Georgia.
Big industry names, including Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, Lee Daniels, Kathleen Kennedy, Harvey Weinstein and more, have signed a letter written by the Human Rights Campaign, vowing to discontinue work in Georgia if a controversial bill is passed.
Forty stars have signed the letter, which is aimed at House Bill 757, dubbed the "religious liberty" bill. It would allow religious officials the ability to deny performing same-sex marriage ceremonies, or organizations from hiring potential employees, on the basis of differing religious beliefs. The bill was passed last week by the Georgia House of Representatives and now rests on approval from Gov. Nathan Deal.
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“We applaud the dozens of leaders from the entertainment industry who are taking a stand today against discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry,” HRC president Chad Griffin says of the letter. "The entertainment industry has a huge economic footprint in Georgia, and the choice for Governor Deal could not be any clearer: he must veto this outrageous legislation before it inflicts tremendous damage on the state."
The full copy of the letter can be read here, including signatures.
Disney and Marvel recently stepped forward, stating they would "take our business elsewhere" if the legislation is passed. Massive superhero movies Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War were shot just outside of Atlanta.
AMC, which films The Walking Dead in Georgia, somewhat followed suit, releasing a statement saying it urges Deal to "reject" the legislation. However, the network did not say it would discontinue filming if the bill is passed.
In addition, Apple, LiveNation, the NFL and more have also spoken out against the bill.
"Apple is proud to support jobs for 44,000 people all across Georgia," the company said in a statement. "Our stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. We urge Governor Deal to veto the discriminatory legislation headed to his desk and send a clear message that Georgia’s future is one of inclusion, diversity and continued prosperity.”
All eyes are on Deal now.
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Topics Politics
Yohana Desta was the senior film reporter for Mashable. She is a Northern Virginia native and an American University grad. She enjoys carefully curating her Instagram account and can often be found reading books, going to concerts, watching movies and learning way too much about pop culture.
