Fox, Lionsgate, and Sony have joined the growing chorus of Hollywood power players urging Georgia to veto an antigay bill that would allow religious people to not perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and faith-based groups to not hire or serve LGBT people.
The bill has passed the House and Senate in Georgia, where the governor has until May 3 to sign or veto it.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the film studios join Time Warner, the Weinstein Company, Starz and power players like Lee Daniels and Aaron Sorkin in condemning the bill.
Disney has said it will boycott Georgia, where lots of big Hollywood movies and TV shows are filmed, if the governor passes the bill. It’s possible that other entertainment titans will do the same.
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Related: Disney, Marvel Will Pull Production Out Of Georgia If Antigay Bill Is Passed
Said a rep for Fox: “On behalf of [our] many creative partners and colleagues who choose to film their projects in the beautiful state of Georgia, we join the growing coalition of businesses in asking Governor Deal to veto this bill.”
Lionsgate, who shot all its Hunger Games movies partly in or around Atlanta, released the following statement:
As a Company committed to diversity, inclusiveness and tolerance, we urge the Governor of Georgia to veto the deplorable and regressive legislation (House Bill 757) that has been sent to him. We take pride in our relationship with the people of Georgia and want to ensure that we can continue to offer our employees and talent there a working environment consistent with our policies and values.”
A long list of major talents have signed a letter urging the governor to veto the bill. Headed up by the Human Rights Campaign, the letter includes the signatures of Matt Bomer, Dustin Lance Black, Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, Ryan Murphy and Harvey Weinstein, who’s threatened to stop shooting his Richard Pryor biopic in Georgia if the bill passes.
Laurence James
It seems that Georgia has many companies that are willing to leave if the bill is signed, but what about NC. That bill has already been signed and I’m yet to read about companies leaving. 🙁
John Malin
Let Georgia’s peaches rot on the trees!
Mack
It’s one thing to threaten, but it’s something else to actually do it. I do appreciate these companies threatening to do so, just hope they follow through if it’s signed.
Now we also need to work on North Carolina as well. Not sure if there is anything there worth while, kind of like Mississippi.
Alistair Wiseman
Those companies and individuals are certainly free to end their working arrangements with Georgia or choose another state for their production(s).
Or they could come back to California where the majority of their productions are based. Of course, if they should come back to California they will have to pay the exorbitantly high taxes which prompted them to seek production(s) elsewhere.
Conservative Georgia (Governor and both senators are Republican) with low taxes or Liberal California (Governor and both senators are Democratic) with high taxes?
Will phoney Hollywood stick to their principals or continue to embrace their favorite color – green?
Wallace Bray
Chow about pulling out of NC also.
1EqualityUSA
It would not be fun to be you, be related to you, be married to you, or have you as a neighbor. Who are you voting for?
John Kuehnle
It seems as much progress is made in equality we keep going back to the 1950s. I realize we have it so much better with laws changing but still.
Luis H. Lopez
Good!!!
Tony Chaplinski
don’t forget North Carolina
Leigh Brash
i am glad for this…but what are businesses doing about NC.. someone needs to build a wall around that state
Rhoderick Gates
Yes, fight back! That’s your money they’re putting at risk. You don’t want to make a bad investment. Like gambling, do you want to gamble on N.C. in that kind of environment? Hell no.
Evji108
@Mack: Actually North Carolina is nothing like Mississippi. It’s quite an attractive state with lovely Blue Ridge Mountains and great beaches. Charlotte and Raleigh are pleasant and liberal cities. But the right wingers have taken over the political landscape in the last few years.
Dakotahgeo
Hopefully, ALL major corporations will pull out of Georgia and the entire southern belt of ignorant States and leave them as unemployed, unemployable, destitute people! Then they can all go back to pickin’ cotton… now that microfiber is the new order of the day!
mauikamaaina
Will we hear from the production companies of “Waking Dead”: AMC Studios, Circle of Confusion, Valhalla EntertainmentIdiot Box Productions? Executive Producers what about you?: Frank Darabont, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Robert Kirkman,
Charles H. Eglee, Glen Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse.
trell
It’s a shame. I’d love to see this put into action, but I reckon it’s a bit of lip service.
Ultimately, in cases of public support vs. money & profit, it’s no contest for most businesses
Robbie Ninalga Ambrosio
Film in Winnipeg
Steven Burr
Don’t threaten, ACT!
robho3
I just wish the entire south would seceded from the union and they can have mr trump as their president and send all the gays and blacks and hispanics and anyone else they don’t like to New York. And they can also take Indiana, and all those red states in the middle of the country with them. Oh but we should keep south Florida in the union – it’s a fabulous place to vacation.
DCFarmboy
The NC law is much worse as it takes away actual rights. The Georgia law, while a bunch of hateful speech and overtones, doesn’t really change anything.