Arizona governor vetoes controversial bill

Arizona open for business signBY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced in a press conference held late Wednesday afternoon that she vetoed SB 1062. The controversial legislation would have allowed individuals to assert their religious beliefs as a reason to refuse service to prospective customers. Critics argued that the law would have legalized discrimination against the LGBT community.

“After weighing all of the arguments, I have vetoed SB 1062 moments ago,” said Brewer in a press conference held at 4:45pm local time. She added that she had made the decision she knew was right for her state.

Numerous major corporations had publicly denounced the proposed legislation, including Apple, American Airlines and Marriott. The state’s two Republican Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, had also urged Brewer to veto the bill. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee had similarly expressed its opposition to the legislation.

Washington Blade reports that Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, commended Brewer for vetoing the legislation.

“We thank Gov. Brewer for her decision to veto this outrageous measure — a law that if enacted would be bad for Arizona people and the Arizona economy,” Carey said. “In doing so, she has stopped a bill that both cynically uses religion as a smokescreen to justify discrimination and insults people of faith who feel that discrimination is morally wrong. This decision sends a clear message that extremism is totally unacceptable to people of all political persuasions.”

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