Arizona governor vetoes anti-gay bill

Governor of the US state of Arizona Jan Brewer, a Republican, has vetoed an anti-gay bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature last week.

The bill would have given business owners with “sincerely held” religious beliefs the legal right to refuse service to gays and lesbians, The Guardian reports.

Supporters of the bill say the legislation is intended to safeguard religious freedom and is simply a reinforcement of existing state law. They say the bill was needed to allow people to live and work by their religious beliefs.

“This bill is not about allowing discrimination,” State Senator Steve Yarbrough said during debate on the measure last week, as reported by the New York Times. “This bill is about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith.”

But Brewer on Wednesday decided to veto it after holding private meetings with opponents and proponents.

“I call them like I see them, despite the cheers or the boos from the crowd,” Brewer said, adding that the legislation “does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona.”

The bill was “broadly worded and could result in unintended and negative consequences,” she said.

Her action came amid mounting pressure from Arizona business leaders, who said the new bill would be a financial disaster for them.

Among prominent Republicans who sided with the bill’s opponents were Mitt Romney and Rick Scott, who argued that the measure would have allowed people to use religion as a fig leaf for prejudice.

The bill, which was passed by last Thursday, came after a number of florists, photographers and bakers were sued for refusing to cater to same-sex couples in other states.