A Win In Arizona

Wednesday marked a good day for the Arizona LGBT community. Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, vetoed a bill (SB 1062) which would have given Arizona businesses the right to LEGALLY refuse services to gay and lesbian customers. The heavily Republican legislature passed the bill last week where it continued on to the governor.

This controversial anti-gay bill was created using the idea of "religious freedom" as its grounds for being legal. However, in response to that, Governor Brewer was quoted as saying, "Senate Bill 1062 does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona. I have not heard one example where business owners' religious liberty has been violated."

In the days leading up to Brewer's decision, the bill faced a lot opposition. Arizona Republican Senators, Jeff Flake and John McCain, both called on the Governor to veto the bill. Former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney voiced his opposition to the bill through a tweet.

Also opposed to the bill were many major corporations including Apple, Marriott, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Intel, AT&T, and Major League Baseball. Many feel this bill would have had adverse effects on Arizona's economy (to which I think "well... duh".). Especially concerned about the bill were Phoenix area businesses including the Super Bowl Host Committee. The 2015 Super Bowl is scheduled to be held in Glendale, AZ.

As much opposition as there was for the bill, it still had its supporters. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh believed Brewer was "being bullied by the homosexual lobby in Arizona and elsewhere."

Honestly, even though I don't think Brewer should have needed a few days to decide on this bill, I'm still very happy she did indeed veto it. The fact that it was supported by several well known Republicans and vetoed by a Republican Governor surprised me a bit.  Only because past history has shown that the majority of the Republicans in the US aren't usually in favor of the LGBT community. Not to mention Arizona hasn't always been the most LGBT friendly state. I think vetoing this bill was an excellent decision and having it backed by Republicans was a nice change of pace. This has added to my hope for the future of the country's LGBT community.

Unfortunately, this bill isn't the only one of it's kind being pushed on legislature. Similar bills have been proposed in Maine, Kansas, South Dakota, and Tennessee.