Nice Time! Super Cool Gamer Nerds Tell Indiana Gov to Go Frak Himself

The organizers of the largest sci-fi/fantasy/gaming convention in Indiana have announced that they will take their toys and go somewhere else if Governor Mike Pence (R-Dipshit) goes forward with signing his Fuck the Gays bill. Frakin' A!

Indiana is one of many states considering a bill to enhance religious liberty that is not-so-secretly just a great big middle finger to their gay citizens. SB 101 grants citizens carte blanche to do whatever they want if they have "sincerely held religious beliefs" and you know the rest. Stroke off the Christianists and slip some homophobia in while you're at it -- perfect red meat for a Republican gov gearing up for reelection and a 2016 presidential run . But stop right there, political scum! What is that great monetary force looming over the horizon? Is it a moon? That's no moon -- it's nerds!

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 Gen Con is the largest and longest-running convention in the state of Indiana. This thing is huge. The gaming event pulls in some 50,000 attendees and about $50 million to Indianapolis every year, and has been doing so since 1968. After the anti-gay bill passed the Indiana legislature and made its way to Mike Pence's desk, the CEO of Gen Con sent a letter to the governor and the Indianapolis tourism board:

Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years.... Gen Con proudly welcomes a diverse attendee base, made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds. We are happy to provide an environment that welcomes all, and the wide-ranging diversity of our attendees has become a key element to the success and growth of our convention.

Gen Con has threatened to leave the state entirely once its contract is up in 2020, in part because just about everyone is against this stupid fucking bill, including your favorite geeky grandpa George Takei , who after hearing about Gen Con's announcement posted this statement on his Facebook:

To the governor and to the legislators in Indiana who support this backward-looking and divisive bill, I say to you this: If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit. We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world’s largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year. Many fans here are gamers, Governor Pence, and we will demand the convention move out of your state.

Once you lost the Takei dollars, that's it. Game over, man. Game over.

Pence's office has doubled down on his decision to sign the bill, which will make for a great soundbite in 2016 once he loses his state 50 million dollars each year just to be an ass. Someone's gotta be a stuck-up, dimwitted, scruffy-looking nerf herder, and it might as well be him.

[ Indy Star via Talking Points Memo / Politico / Fox 59 ]