CHICAGO (AP) —
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has asked Indiana businesses to consider moving to
Chicago after Indiana's governor signed legislation that's been criticized
over concerns it could foster discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Emanuel's office
said Monday that the mayor sent letters to about a dozen businesses in
Indiana. The letter cites Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed the measure last week and defended it
during a television appearance Sunday. The act prohibits state laws that
"substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious
beliefs.
In the letter,
Emanuel says the act is wrong and urges Indiana business owners to
"consider Chicago as a place to move and grow." Emanuel writes that
businesses can't "succeed in the global economy if you discriminate
against your residents."
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