Ken Cuccinelli, former attorney general
and Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, on Tuesday said he
would sign a controversial bill in Arizona that opponents say would
allow individuals and businesses to discriminate against gay people.
The measure, which
states that businesses can refuse service based on their religious
beliefs, created an uproar over the weekend after it cleared
the House and Senate late last week. Republican Governor Jan Brewer
has yet to announce whether she'll sign the bill, saying only that
she would do the “right thing” for Arizona. A Brewer
spokesperson on Tuesday denied reports that she had decided to veto
the bill.
Appearing on CNN's Crossfire,
Cuccinelli, an ardent opponent of LGBT rights, disagreed with
panelist LZ Granderson's assertion that he was “probably” a
homophobe.
“We can safely agree that this is
being driven by the Christian faith,” Granderson said. “I'm
looking at the Bible and going, 'Where in the Bible does Jesus say no
to people?' He's always bringing people in. So are you really using
this as an umbrella of your religious faith? Or are you wrapping
your homophobia around the Bible and trying to find scriptures that
justify your homophobia?”
“Just because you're uncomfortable
with something does not mean it's against your religious faith.”
“Because you disagree with me doesn't
mean I'm a homophobe, does it?” Cuccinelli asked. “Can you have
an intellectual disagreement that isn't personalized?”
“We all know your history. You've
made several remarks over the years that I would classify as
homophobic. I would say that you personally are probably a
homophobe,” Granderson replied. (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
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Later, Cuccinelli predicted that Brewer
would cave in to the “bullying” and veto the bill, a course which
he disagreed with.