Filip Novotny The Arizona Legislature this week voted to pass a law that would allow store and restaurant owners to refuse to serve homosexuals. The proposal then sat on Governor Jan Brewer's desk for several days. There have been a number of calls to use the right of veto, one of them also from Apple. Thanks to her, the governor eventually swept the proposal off the table.
Bill 1062, as billed in the Arizona Senate, would allow discrimination against homosexuals by expanding religious freedoms. In particular, strongly Christian-based businessmen could thus expel LGBT customers with impunity. Contrary to some expectations, this proposal passed the Arizona Senate, which immediately unleashed a great wave of opposition from the public and famous personalities.
A number of Democratic politicians spoke out against the law, but even a few representatives of the conservative GOP. Among them was, for example, Senator John McCain, former Republican presidential candidate. He was joined by three Arizona senators, Bob Worsley, Adam Driggs and Steve Pierce.
Calls to veto the bill also came to Governor Brewer's desk from the corporate sector. According to news CNBC Apple was also the author of one of them. She has already stood up for the rights of LGBT and other minorities in the past, most recently in the case of the ENDA Act. Tim Cook himself wrote about this problem at the time column for American Wall Street Journal.
Another major company, American Airlines, joined in with somewhat more pragmatic reasons. According to its officials, this law could deter businesses from entering the Arizona market, which would undoubtedly hurt it. "There is serious concern in the corporate world that if this law were to go into effect, it would jeopardize everything we've accomplished so far," said company CEO Doug Parker.
The negative opinion of Law 1062 is also shared by Intel, the Marriott hotel chain and the American football league NFL. On the contrary, a strong supporter of this proposal was the powerful conservative lobby Center for Arizona Policy, which called the negative opinions "lies and personal attacks".
After several days of speculation, Governor Brewer announced on her Twitter account today that she has decided to veto House Bill 1062. She stated that she sees no point in passing this law, as there is absolutely no restriction on the religious freedoms of businessmen in Arizona. According to her, it would also introduce the possibility of institutionalized discrimination: "This law is written very generally, which could have negative effects."
“I also understand that the traditional form of marriage and family is being questioned today as never before. Our society is going through a lot of dramatic changes," Brewer said at a press conference. “However, Bill 1062 would create more problems than it purports to address. Religious freedom is a fundamental American and Arizona value, but so is the suppression of discrimination," the governor ended the passionate debate.
With her decision, the proposal lost the support of the submitting republican party and de facto has no chance of passing through the legislative process in its current form.
Moments ago, I vetoed #SB1062. pic.twitter.com/gdQn0dG2vB
— Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) February 27, 2014
This is a meeting with a jerk in the backyard. if someone comes to the company with his friend and behaves decently, then he should not be persecuted for his orientation.
If someone comes there to show off and obscenely harass the neighborhood, then they should be expelled. And it doesn't matter who it is. All-round advice – ONE RULE for ALL. No discrimination, but no prosthetics either. Is it so difficult for homo sapiens sapiens to understand?
It is, for fanatics who understand and recognize only their faith.
It is seriously a mystery to me how the presence of a gay man in a restaurant in any way negates the religious freedom of the business owner. And if someone is bothered by the idea of two straitjackets licking each other? I still don't see where the denial of faith is. Apparently some kind of "morality" is being dealt with here, but it is different around every corner. For example, in Japan it is "unthinkable" to kiss in public. Anyone with anyone. We are again witnessing how the power of human stupidity was able to set the legislative process in motion.