Return of SB1062? New moves to legalize discrimination

You knew there would be backlash over a court's decision to toss Arizona's ban on same-sex marriage.

So here it is. Already an employee of the Maricopa County Clerk of the Court's Office may not want to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples owing to "religious or moral objections." And the employee has the support of some politicians and at least one religiously-affiliated national legal organization.

An outfit called Alliance Defending Freedom is backing the idea of legalized discrimination. And a legislator or two are talking like they'd be happy to see a new version of Senate Bill 1062, which would have legalized (or at least attempted to do so) discrimination by individuals and businesses who claim to be acting on what they called a "sincerely held religious belief."

Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed that bill, saying it wasn't necessary and hopefully understanding the negative impact such a proposal would have had on our businesses and our tourism.

Let alone our souls.

Now, apparently, it's back.

According to an article by The Republic's Mary Jo Pitzl discussions about this are going on at the State Capitol. She noted: "House Speaker Pro Tem J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, told the Arizona Capitol Times that the issue of how to protect businesses from being forced to work with groups with whom they have a moral objection will need to be addressed."

How about you address it by telling people that discrimination is illegal?

And that there is no way to morally discriminate.

As a reader named Mary wrote to me back when SB 1062 was under consideration, "If I were a Muslim, couldn't I refuse to serve women if they were not wearing the 'appropriate' attire and accompanied by a man?"

As a man named Terry wrote back then: "If two female or two male co-workers go out for lunch and happen to have the misfortune to step into one of these establishments, will it be assumed they are gay? Would they be denied service?"

There is no good way, and no good reason for discrimination.

Should a clerk in the county court also be able to refuse a marriage license to a mixed-race couple on moral grounds? Or to a May-December romance that seemed to the clerk to be based on finance more than love?

Should restaurants or automotive garages or bakers be able to refuse anyone who wears a turban? Or a priest's collar? Or a Dallas Cowboy's t-shirt?

(Okay, I might make an exception for that last one. But you get the idea.)

Refusing to sell someone a marriage license or a piece of pie or a set of tires isn't a moral or religious statement.

It's an un-American statement.

And, hopefully, an illegal one.