Arizona Anti-Gay Discrimination Bill Details: LGBT Community Could Lose Basic Rights
Arizona has had its fair share of controversy with the Anti-Immigration reform, the border protection, and now the Senate Bill 1062.
This bill, if passed by Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer, would allow businesses to refuse service to customers when such work would violate their religious beliefs. Brewer has not voted or vetoed the bill as yet.
The Bill 1062 has already been voted on by both House of Representatives 33-27, and with a similar result in the state Senate. And some Senators and some business owners want the bill passed. But the result has drawn more ire than a case of bad food poisoning.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), GLBT groups and some businesses are not in support of the Bill 1062.
According to Reuters, the critics of the bill contend that it is a license to discriminate against gays and others. Under this bill a business could be protected against a discrimination lawsuit.
The ACLU has called the legislation unnecessary and discriminatory, and it has nothing to do with God or faith. The Executive Director of the ACLU stated that it [Bill 1062] allows citizens and business owners to use religion to discriminate, which sends a message that Arizona is intolerant.
The State Representative, Eddie Farnsworth stated that the bill is simply protecting religious freedom that is recognized, defended, and supported in the First Amendment.
According to CNN, Brewer did state that businesses have a right to choose who they want to work with or not. Brewer also stated that if she did not want to deal with a particular business, company or person then she was not interested, "That's America. That's freedom," she said.
An LGBT group known as Wingspan does not agree with Governor Brewer. Wingspan staged a protest march to the governor's office, which drew 200 people. They were signs that read, "God created us equal," and "Shame on Arizona."
Some business owners don't agree with the bill either. A pizzeria manager calls the bill ridiculous, and he added that they were much bigger problems in Arizona than allowing businesses to discriminate against other people.
Meanwhile, other business owners vowed that if the bill is passed that they will move from Arizona.
The strongest supporter of the bill is the Center for Arizona Policy. They are a conservative group opposed to abortion and same sex marriage. The group, like some businesses, says it protects people [businesses] against increasing activist federal courts.
Anna Tovar, State Senate Democratic Minority leader, stated that this bill may also open the door to discriminate based on race, familial status, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.