Arizona Governor vetoes widely criticised anti-gay bill

Widely derided by critics, Arizona Governor vetoed anti-gay bill on Wednesday citing opposition from big business and warning that the measure could "create more problems than it purports to solve."

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed anti-gay bill on Wednesday. AP.

Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature last week which allowed business owners to claim their religious beliefs as legal a justification for refusing to serve same-sex couples or any other prospective customer.

The measure was widely seen as a backlash against a recent string of federal court decisions in several states recognizing marriage rights for same-sex couples.

But Brewer came under mounting pressure to veto the measure as a number of major business organizations and some fellow Republicans came out against the legislation, dubbed "Senate Bill 1062".

"Senate Bill 1062 does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona," Brewer said in a statement. Gay-rights activists rallying outside the capitol erupted in cheers at news of the veto.

"I have not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated," she said, going on to critique the bill as a broadly worded proposal that "could result in unintended and negative consequences."

Brewer's veto coincided with another high-profile victory on Wednesday for gay rights activists, who won a federal court decision in Texas striking down that state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, even though it was immediately stayed pending appeal.

Brewer said that while she understood that long-held norms about marriage and family were being challenged like never before, Senate bill 1062 could potentially create more problems. "It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want."

Brewer also pointed to broad opposition the bill faced from the very business community that supporters said the measure was designed to protect.

In her veto remarks, she chided lawmakers for failing so far to address the top priority she set for the current legislative session. "Our immediate challenge is fixing a broken child protection system," Brewer said. "Instead, this is the first policy bill to cross my desk."

The bill had gained final approval from the Republican-controlled state legislature last Thursday, putting Brewer at the center of a contentious political debate when she sought to ease partisan discord. Critics of the measure argued that it amounted to state-sanctioned discrimination and would tarnish Arizona's image.

Under the bill, a business would have been immune to a discrimination lawsuit if a decision to deny service was motivated by "sincerely held" religious beliefs and if providing service would burden exercising of those beliefs.

Debate over the measure played out against a backdrop of growing momentum for legalization of gay marriage across the country, with federal judges striking down restrictions on same-sex matrimony in several states, including New Mexico, Utah, Kentucky, Virginia and, now, Texas.

So far, 17 states in US and the District of Columbia recognize gay marriage in a trend that has gained momentum since the US Supreme Court ruled in June that legally married same-sex couples nationwide are eligible for federal benefits.

Reuters