In a tough blow for America’s religious right, the republican governor of the state of Arizona vetoed her own party’s law that would have allowed the owners or operators of businesses to discriminate against any customers deemed offensive to their religious sensibilities. 

Although much of the debate centered around scenarios such as bakeries refusing to make gay wedding cakes and LGBT people being kicked out of restaurants, the poorly-written legislation could have opened the door to all sorts of religious discrimination:  Muslim cab drivers who could have refused to give rides to Jews, Baptists refusing to serve Roman Catholics, Pharmacists refusing to dispense safe, sane, and legal birth control.

“I have not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated,” Governor Jan Brewer (R-Arizona) said in announcing her veto of the bill, which passed the state legislature last week with the strong backing of her Republican Party.

Rebecca Wininger, president of Equality Arizona, said the veto was “a clear message for those trying to use religion and those with right-leaning rhetoric that we’re done – we’re tired and we’re done with being discriminated against.”

Gay leaders, especially Star Trek’s “Mr. Sulu” George Takei, had threatened a boycott of Arizona, saying the bill was a sadistic tome designed by bigoted extremists to degrade and humiliate gay people and their families.  They were willing to go after any sponsor of next year’s Superbowl, scheduled for 1 February 2015 in Phoenix.  Brewer had good reason to listen to the National Football League instead of her own party. 

Back in 1990, the NFL threatened to move the big game to California, if notoriously conservative Arizona refused to create a holiday commemorating the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Conservative lawmakers refused to bend, and the NFL went through with its promise – Arizona lost out on millions of dollars that went to California instead.  Two years later, with the tails between their legs, Arizona legislators were the last in America to approve the MLK Holiday.

Major corporations such as Apple, American Airlines, Marriott, and Delta Air Lines were also against the law.