AZ Legislature turns back clock, resumes segregation, but this time for gays

[Likely Voter]

Brewer called the bill controversial and noted it failed to pass in other states.  After 1070 and MLK I doubt she wants AZ to lead this charge.  Just look how local press is covering
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Many-fear-religious-freedom-bill-will-harm-Arizona-tourism-246640951.html

[Likely Voter]

Good, good. To be honest though, how easy is it to tell whether somebody is gay or not. I mean, sure, there's a few out there who set off the old gaydar, but realistically now. 'Tis pretty difficult sometimes.

That is a good point. In the good old days, when you put up your "whites only" sign, it was easy to identify any violators. Perhaps the fine AZ legislature will propose new legislation require the gays to wear something that identifies them, so that the fine religious people can be sure to not serve them. Perhaps some kind of armband?

[Likely Voter]

What AZ is proposing is actually worse than the "historically charged" segregation of the South. In that era of "separate but equal," businesses were offering separate services for whites and blacks. AZ is proposing that it should be legal to deny services entirely. The new law isn't protecting business from offering different services (like how Woolworth's in the south had separate counters for blacks), it is protecting business so they can deny gays service at any counter at all. It isn't sitting at the back of the bus, it is not being let on the bus to begin with.

[Likely Voter]

How is this even a debate? Is anyone going to defend the right of businesses to refuse to serve people based on race, religion, sex or disability? (all of which are federally protected) Sexual orientation is just the latest thing to be added to the list (albeit in a patchwork of states and cities and not yet federally).

Unfortunately in AZ it is still legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation, so for most of the state this law really was meaningless. The real effect of this law was nullifying city ordinances in Phoenix, Tuscon and some other towns that had laws against LGBT discrimination.