Bill Oesterle's costly, legacy-defining RFRA fight
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Bill Oesterle discusses the Religious Freedom Restoration Act outside the City-County Building in March 2015. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
Welcome to the first edition of Market Street, a column on politics and power, named to reference the line between the Statehouse and City-County Building.
Long before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney waged war over LGBTQ+ issues, Bill Oesterle fired the first shots.
Flashback: Oesterle, a co-founder and former CEO of Angie's List, was a prominent Republican who galvanized civic leaders and institutions against then-Gov. Mike Pence, a fellow Republican, over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015.
- Oesterle and other opponents argued that RFRA legalized discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Driving the news: It's apropos that friends and family will celebrate Oesterle's life from 3-8pm today — the first day of Pride Month — at the Mavris Arts & Event Center.
- Oesterle, 57, died May 10 due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The big picture: Oesterle's battle against RFRA — and for LGBTQ+ rights — was a defining act in a life filled with political and business success.
- He laid a foundation for corporate activism years before anyone would coin the term "woke capitalism."
Between the lines: It came at a cost, estranging Oesterle from some Republican Party quarters and social connections.
- Oesterle's peers found him guilty of the "worst kind of disloyalty," he told me last year.
I spoke to him about his life and acclimation to ALS. Even as Oesterle lost his ability to drive, eat and wash his hair, he expressed disappointment on only two matters: He didn't save Angie's List and, in his view, he lost on RFRA.
What he said: "You can still fire someone for being gay in this state. That embarrasses me," Oesterle told me.
State of play: The national furor over RFRA led to a so-called fix in which Pence and the legislature allowed cities, including Indianapolis, to enforce ordinances banning discrimination over sexual orientation.
Yes, but: RFRA stands in most of Indiana, letting businesses deny service to people on religious grounds.
The "fix" satisfied most civic and corporate leaders, but Oesterle said they "caved and compromised."
- "I thought the business community and the counter-movement did not go far enough. They were bad poker players," he said.
Meanwhile, that counter-movement continues — and follows a familiar playbook.
- When Disney last month canceled a $1 billion development in Orlando over the ongoing conflict with DeSantis over a law prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, it had echoes of Angie's List calling off investment in Indianapolis because of RFRA.
As Indiana lawmakers started focusing on anti-trans legislation last year, Oesterle expressed pessimism about businesses using the tactics he deployed.
- "I don't know who's got control of the soul of the Republican Party. It ain't me," he said.
The bottom line: Oesterle's RFRA comments revealed a rare seed of discouragement in his final months — and perhaps also an underestimation of his influence.
Market Street is a regular column about local politics and power. Send me tips: [email protected].