Minnesota Senator Al Franken went on The Late Show with David Letterman to discuss the backlash against the host's home state over Governor Mike Pence's decision to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
"This was a very bad move," Franken said. "At lot of this is about the fact that in 1964, we settled the idea that you have to serve people even if you're biased in some way [against them]."
"The problem here is that LGBT Americans don't have the same rights that pretty much everyone else has. You can't discriminate against someone in employment because they're black or they're Jewish -- but you can, in many states, if they're LGBT."
"We've got to end that," he said. "Do a national law saying, 'you can't do that.'"
"What I don't understand," Letterman replied, "is that they're human beings, so when aren't they generally protected the same way all human beings are generally protected?"
"That's a very good question," Franken said. "It's amazing we're so backward about this. I have a bill, for example, on LGBT students who get bullied. Their parents should have the right to call the principal and make sure this doesn't happen."
"So we've made a tremendous amount of progress in this area," he continued, "so this is kind of a disgrace what happened [in Indiana]."
"Here's what I want to know," Letterman interjected. "I love Indiana, I want to be buried in Indiana -- and I know I've embarrassed the state many, many times. What can I do now to make the governor feel uncomfortable."
"As a matter of fact," Franken replied, "there's an open seat there. Senator Dan Coats said he's not running. When young people come to me and say, 'how do you become a United States senator?' I say, 'do about 35 or 40 years of comedy, and then run for the Senate.' So I think you should run."
Letterman is retiring later this year, and will be replaced by former Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert.
Watch the entire interview below via The Late Show with David Letterman on YouTube.
