LGBT activist group petitioning incoming governor for civil rights protections

LGBT advocates delivered petitions with more than 5,000 signatures to incoming Indiana governor Eric Holcomb, asking him to support civil rights protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Chris Paulsen of the pro-gay rights group Freedom Indiana says polling shows most Indiana residents support the idea.

Holcomb, a Republican, has not said if he does. He has also said there is little appetite from lawmakers or the public to push increased protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Statehouse.

LGBT rights have been a divisive issue ever since lawmakers and Gov. Mike Pence created a religious objections law in 2015.

Critics said it sanctioned discrimination against gay people on religious grounds. It drew widespread negative attention to the state, leading lawmakers to approve changes.