by Nomad
New draft legislation in Arizona would give citizens the right to refuse service to gay customers based on their own religious beliefs.
According to the sponsors, those with sincere religious beliefs are being denied their rights. Is discrimination based on religious values a constitutionally-protected form of free speech?
Arizona State Senators have voted to allow businesses to refuse service to gay citizens based on the owners’ “sincerely held” religious beliefs. An article in
Arizona Daliy Star reports that the vote on
SB 1062 was 17-13 with the Republican majority carrying the majority. No Democrats voted for the bill.
One of the sponsors of the bill, Sen.
Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler explained:
“This bill is not about discrimination It’s about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith.”
The bill approves of the right to refuse service based on religious beliefs, but fell short of requiring a business to post signs stating the fact. Critics of the bill sought to include this provision. As Sen.
Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix stated:
“If there is an organization or a business out there that wants to use the defense of religious freedom, I believe that consumers have a right to know.”
The GOP rejected its inclusion. Perhaps that would have been
too obvious. Like segregated drinking fountains.The Republicans would prefer a
more discreet form of discrimination.
Gallardo told
reporters:
“We all have the right to our religious beliefs. But I do not agree that we have the right to discriminate because of our religious beliefs. I do not believe we have to throw our religious beliefs to others that don’t share our same beliefs.”
Supporters of the legislation are turning the tables on that
idea, suggesting that by forcing business to serve homosexuals, it is they who
are being discriminated against. Yarbrough said SB 1062 is “aimed at preventing
the rising attempts at discriminating against folks because they are sincere."
