Arizona Governor vetoes anti-gay bill: ‘No discrimination’
By Sam Rigby
Jan Brewer, the Governor of Arizona, has vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses to deny service to people on religious grounds.
The new law would have made it possible for owners to refuse to serve customers, including gay men, lesbians and others.
According to the New York Times, the Republican governor opposed the bill on Wednesday (February 26), saying: “Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value, so is no discrimination.”
Meanwhile, Senator John McCain, who had urged the governor to veto the bill, said in a statement: “I hope that we can now move on from this controversy and assure the American people that everyone is welcome to live, work and enjoy our beautiful state of Arizona.”
The legislation had also been opposed by Mitt Romney, who has stated on previous occasions that he does not support gay marriage.
Arizona-based LGBT group Wingspan condemned the bill when it was passed last week, labelling it “outrageous”.
They added that the move would “encourage discrimination against LGBT citizens” and “lead to increased hostility between and among Arizonans”.