What the law says vs. why it says it
So much of the debate over Indiana’s new religious freedom law revolves around the gap between the letter of the law and the politics behind it. Supporters note that the law doesn’t mention gays and lesbians, and that similar laws (though not identical ones) have been on the books in other jurisdictions for years. Opponents point to the fact that the law’s advocates organized support for it with arguments about protecting business owners who object to being vendors for same-sex weddings. They're both right, just about different things.
Legal interpretation, however, doesn’t happen in a sociopolitical vacuum. So ultimately it doesn't prove all that much to say “no big deal, we’ve had laws like this for years,” because during those years, times have changed—not just views on same-sex mariage, but with them the specific rhetorical and legal strategies of those who oppose it.
