Nancy Armour was a sports writer for Associated Press for years before coming a sports columnist for USA Today. Or a sports censor. Armour believes anyone holding a conservative view based on some ancient holy text that homosexuality is a sin should be punished and exiled in some say. It's a "lunatic fringe," she writes.
When Indiana’s governor Mike Pence signed a law creating a religious-freedom exception for gay marriages, giving the right to refuse to participate or endorse it, Armour wrote “NCAA's next moves should be out of Indiana.” Everyone should evacuate the Hate State immediately!
The NCAA should be applauded for swiftly and strongly expressing its disapproval of Indiana's new law that cloaks discrimination in "religious freedom."
But it can't stop there.
It is too late to pull this year's Final Four from Indianapolis, given it is next weekend and there's no other city that would have an arena and several thousand hotel rooms available. But the NCAA can – and should – tell Indiana lawmakers that their prejudice and mean-spiritedness has cost the state the privilege of hosting any other collegiate sporting event.
The 2016 women's Final Four currently scheduled to be held in Indianapolis? Not anymore.
The early-round games for the men's tournament that Indianapolis is looking forward to hosting in 2017? They'll be moved somewhere else.
The 2021 men's Final Four that was awarded to Indianapolis last fall? That will be going to a more enlightened state, like Minnesota.
Swimming, hockey, cross country, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, tennis – Indiana won't be seeing any of their championships any time soon, either.
And in what would be the biggest threat of all, the NCAA ought to tell Gov. Mike Pence and his lunatic-fringe lawmakers that it no longer feels at home in Indiana and will look at moving its headquarters from Indianapolis to a state where God-given diversity is something to be celebrated rather than feared.
By this logic, we should all expect that USA Today will no longer sell any newspapers in Indiana, or allow any Indiana-based corporation to buy advertising in their newspaper. Commissar Armour wants to ban, ban, ban, ban, ban. Surely, a Christian who disagrees will be walking right past the USA Today box.
Like many journalists who hate traditional religion, Armour thinks “religious liberty” is an unserious cause, a cloak for hate, and the First Amendment is for “separation of church and state,” even though those words aren’t in the Bill of Rights. The “free exercise of religion” for Armour just means “get out my way or you get banned.” The scarlet letter is now H for "homophobia."
Conservatives like to play the "religious freedom" card at the mere suggestion gays and lesbians – or anyone they consider different – deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. You know, as all people should be.
Never mind that one of the founding principles in this country is the separation of church and state, specifically included in the Constitution so no one could use their faith as an excuse to bully or demean others. Or that these folks are on the wrong side of history, with gay marriage now legal in 37 states and the Supreme Court expected to strike down remaining barriers this summer.
There’s a word for this kind of argument: Bible-shaming. Get out of here with your Bible and its hate-crime-enabling, discrimination-excusing poppycock. Get out of here with your silly God on the Wrong Side of History.
