RALEIGH and CHARLOTTE - The ACLU of North Carolina joined Equality NC, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, business owners, and faith leaders in Raleigh and Charlotte today to deliver more than 10,000 signatures urging Gov. Pat McCrory to veto proposed "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" bills in North Carolina.

The Indiana-style proposals, Senate Bill 550 and House Bill 348, would allow people and businesses to bypass any laws they choose and to discriminate in the name of religious freedom, opening the door to discrimination against LGBT people and others. In recent weeks, major companies such as IBM, American Airlines, and Red Hat have voiced strong opposition to the bills as bad for business. Gov. McCrory has previously said the proposal "makes no sense" and is unnecessary, but has not promised the veto the bills if they are approved by the legislature.

North Carolina's bills go much further than allowing businesses to turn away gay people. They could open the floodgates for a landlord to evict a hardworking single mother, a doctor to deny care to the child of a same-sex couple, or a judge to pardon an abuser instead of protecting a domestic violence survivor – all under the guise of religious freedom.

Don’t let North Carolina make Indiana’s mistake. Legislators know that bills like this are bad for business. And ACLU supporters helped stop similar bills in Nevada, Montana, and Georgia by taking action.