"It's been a tough week here in the Hoosier state."
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence—the target of much public criticism for his signing of Indiana's new "religious freedom" law—opened his press conference Tuesday morning with a meditation on how hurt his state has been by the "mischaracterization" of the new law, and how he hopes Indiana legislators will correct the record with amendments.
"I am calling on the General Assembly to send me a bill that focuses on the issue here—that focuses on the smear that's been leveled against the law and against the people of Indiana," Pence said. "And that is that, somehow through our legislative process, we enacted legislation that created a license to discriminate."
It's been less than one week since the Republican governor signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which supporters say protects people, businesses, and organizations from being forced to act against their religious beliefs. But local and national opponents of the law claim the language tacitly permits discrimination of LGBT individuals on religious grounds.
(RELATED: How Indiana's "Religious Freedom" Law Turned Into a Nationwide Political Storm)
"I don't support discrimination against gays or lesbians or anyone else. I abhor discrimination. I want to say this: No one should be harassed or mistreated because of who they are, what they love, or what they believe," Pence said Tuesday. "I believe it with all my heart."