WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the passage of SB 1062 in the Arizona State Legislature, Interfaith Alliance president, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, released the following statement urging Governor Brewer to veto the bill:

“As an American citizen, a Christian pastor, an interfaith leader and a devoted supporter of civil rights for all people, I am deeply pained by the recent passage of Senate Bill 1062 in the Arizona State Legislature.  I am offended that this piece of legislation – which gives broad license to individuals and private businesses to deny services and discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals – has been peddled as an act of religious freedom.  In truth, it is a gross distortion of the principles of religious freedom that have made our nation great.

The Interfaith Alliance has long championed the promise of the First Amendment: that the religious rights of individuals will always be protected and that no religious doctrine shall ever be established as law.  Though supporters of SB 1062 seek to camouflage this act as a means of supporting religious freedom, responsible citizens must see it for the dangerous development that it is.  The provisions of this bill have no basis in the long history of the First Amendment and its passage would only serve as a regressive decision, endangering the constitutional rights of Arizona’s LGBT residents.  I hope that religious leaders across the nation will make it clear that legislation like this has no place in the religious traditions it purports to protect. The fact that its supporters are using faith to justify discrimination is antithetical to any religious tradition of which I am aware.

Sadly, similar developments in state legislatures from Ohio to South Dakota, as well as a recent speech on religious liberty by Republican presidential hopeful Governor Bobby Jindal, demonstrate that this abuse of religious freedom extends far beyond Arizona.  Such state actions threaten the integrity of our nation’s constitutional guarantee of civil rights for all people, not to mention the constitution’s protection of religious liberty from prostitution by people seeking to use legislation to establish their particular sectarian views. I call on Governor Jan Brewer to veto this hateful bill in order to protect the rights of LGBT Arizonans and to restore a measure of sanity to the religious freedom debate in America.”

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.