Four of the Republicans running for governor in Georgia, including the party’s eventual nominee, Brian Kemp, had promised to sign a Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law if they were elected. There are versions of RFRA legislation in some twenty states; these laws often aim to protect businesses and individuals who wish to deny services to gay couples on the basis of religious belief. Georgia passed RFRA legislation in 2016—but, before it had been signed into law, Disney, Netflix, CBS, M-G-M, Steven Spielberg, and others in the film industry publicly condemned it, and many threatened to take their projects elsewhere. Ultimately, the state’s Republican governor, Nathan Deal, vetoed the legislation, defying the more conservative members of his party. “I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community,” he said at the time.
