Sat. February 22, 2014
Phoenix, AZ -
An estimated 300 people rallied Friday in Phoenix against passage of a bill which they say would allow businesses and individuals to discriminate against gays.
The bill, known as SB 1062, cleared the Senate on Wednesday and the House of Representatives on Thursday. Calling the measure "controversial," Republican Governor Jan Brewer said she will decide whether to sign the bill next week.
Holding banners which read "Legalize Love, Not Hate" and "Veto 1062" the demonstrators sprawled out on the lawn of the state capitol chanting "veto."
The measure seeks to prohibit the state from taking actions against a person, defined as "any individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, estate, trust, foundation or other legal entity," who refuses services based on their religious beliefs.
Appearing on CNN Newsroom, House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, a Democrat, stated that the bill was a response to laws passed in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
"Let there be no doubt about what this bill does. It's going to allow people to discriminate against the gay community in Arizona," Campbell said. "It goes after unprotected classes of people. And we all know that the biggest unprotected class of people in this state is the LGBT community. And the supporters of this bill, the Republicans on the floor, admitted as much yesterday."
"We have cities that have protected status for the LGBT community and that is the problem. That's what most people outside of Arizona don't realize."
This bill "is a direct attack on the cities that are trying to protect their citizens," Campbell added.
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