GLAAD urges Arizona Governor to veto anti-LGBT bill

NEW YORK, NY – Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and President of GLAAD – the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization – today denounced proposed legislation that would give license to Arizona's business owners to blatantly discriminate against LGBT people.

"Being anti-LGBT is bad for business," Ellis told CNN's Carol Costello today. "Apple, Marriott, American Airlines – over 80 corporations have spoken out and urged [Arizona] Governor [Jan] Brewer to veto this bill."

Ellis also noted that even the National Football League (NFL) has spoken out against the bill. Arizona is slated to host the Super Bowl in 2015.

In a new statement today, Ellis continued:

"Governor Brewer now stands at a career-defining precipice," says Ellis. "By signing this bill into law, she would be turning her back on countless Arizonans, who simply want to live the lives they love without fear of discrimination. Businesses won't tolerate this bill; Arizonans won't tolerate this bill; and America won't tolerate this bill. Governor Brewer must do what's right and veto SB 1062."

More than 80 companies are also urging Gov. Brewer to veto SB 1062. The full list is viewable here: /sites/default/files/Gov_Brewer_Veto_Letter.w_Signatures.pdf Additional companies that have spoken out against the bill include Apple, American Airlines, and Marriott.

Others who have spoken out against the bill include U.S. Senators from Arizona John McCain and Jeff Flake. Today, Senator McCain told CNN's Chris Cuomo that "This [bill] is going to hurt the state of Arizona's economy and, frankly, our image, so I hope that the Governor of Arizona will veto this and we will move on."

Faith leaders have also spoken out strongly against the bill, including the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, President of the Religious Institute; the Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches; and Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D. of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual.

GLAAD is also urging equality supporters to voice their opinions on Facebook and Twitter by sharing a graphic urging Gov. Brewer to veto the bill. That graphic can be found here: www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-president-gov-brewer-must-veto-1062