Wilco’s Indiana Show is Back On After State Amends RFRA Statute

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Monday, Wilco announced that it was canceling a show in Indianapolis due to the passage of the Religious Freedom Reform Act, signed into state law by Indiana governor Mike Pence. Many saw the law as a potential legal shield for businesses that wanted to deny service to gay and lesbian customers, and Wilco’s cancelation was just one part of a larger outcry. Paste covered the band’s decision, and the concern trolling that ensued, here.

In the past week, under extreme pressure both state-wide and nationally, the Indiana legislature and Mike Pence amended the RFRA to prohibit this kind of discrimination. With this capitulation, Wilco chose to reinstate the Indianapolis show.

The announcement was made today on Twitter:

The band also released a statement on Facebook:

We consider the changes to Indiana’s RFRA a good first step toward creating the sort of welcoming environment we encourage everywhere, so we’re reinstating our May 7 show at The Murat, which we canceled earlier this week. To quote an Indiana University statement from yesterday, “religious liberty and equal protection under the law are both cornerstones of our democracy and they should not be in conflict with each other.” Well said, IU…

We’ve been putting on shows with our neighbors in Indiana for more than 20 years and are happy to continue that at the Murat in May. We’ll also donate a portion of the proceeds from this show to organizations fighting to build on the progress we hope this change makes in Indiana and beyond. More details soon.

Love, Wilco

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