Meghan McCain, the daughter of Arizona
Senator John McCain, has called on Governor Jan Brewer to veto an
Arizona bill which opponents say would allow businesses to
discriminate against gays.
“The state that I grew up in and love
so much is literally making discrimination against citizens legal.
HOW IS THIS AMERICAN OR RIGHT?!?” McCain tweeted to her more than
246,000 followers.
Brewer said she will decide next week
whether to sign the bill, which cleared the Senate on Wednesday and
the House of Representatives the following day.
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.
“@GovBrewer please do the right thing
for ALL Arizonans and veto SB 1062 or be the governor remembered for
legalizing discrimination,” McCain also messaged.
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.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
also called on Brewer to veto the bill.
“This bill is bad for business, bad
for the LGBT community and bad for all Arizonans,” Griffin
said in a statement. “Governor Brewer, who herself described
it as very controversial, must veto it and send a strong message that
legally sanctioned discrimination has no place in Arizona.”
“When providing a service to the
public, a business owner shouldn't pick and choose who they want to
provide a service to and who they want to deny. Instead of
protecting religious liberty, this bill gives license for
discrimination to run rampant across the state,” he added.
Roughly 300 people rallied Friday in
Phoenix against the bill.
(Related: Hundreds
rally against Arizona bill allowing businesses to discriminate
against gays.)