Apple has joined the list of those pressuring Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would allow business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians.
NBC:
Senate Bill 1062 has set off a political firestorm since the Arizona Legislature passed it last week, with critics denouncing the measure as blatantly discriminatory and embarrassing to the state.
Opposition has grown each day, and Monday saw three state senators who had voted in favor of the bill change their minds, saying they oppose it. U.S. Sen. John McCain, Apple Inc. and The CEO of American Airlines Group Inc. have joined the chorus.
State Senators Bob Worsley, Adam Driggs, and Steve Pierce sent a letter urging Brewer to veto the bill just days after the vote.
“I think laws are (already) on the books that we need, and have now seen the ramifications of my vote,” Worsley told The Associated Press. “I feel very bad, and it was a mistake.”
Brewer has five working days to sign or veto the bill. Brewer returns from governors association meetings in Washington Tuesday afternoon.
The governor hasn’t commented on the bill, but she did veto similar legislation last year.
Apple spokeswoman Kristin Hueget confirmed Monday that the company had reached out to Brewer and urged a veto.
Apple is currently working to open a manufacturing plant in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa that would employ up to 700 workers.
