Yesterday was a bad day for homophobes

Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that Texas's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. This comes on the heels of a similar ruling earlier this month in Virginia.

Then, a few hours later, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1062, a highly controversial bill that would have legalized discrimination under the umbrella of "religious liberty". If this bill had become law, anyone could refuse service to any other individual(s) simply by citing religious sensitivities. And the LGBT community was widely considered to be a primary target.

While I'm generally not a big fan of Governor Brewer, I applaud her decision in this case, even though it was probably influenced by pressure from the Chamber of Commerce and other third-party groups who were concerned with the potential economic hit that the state could take if the bill became law.

The fact is that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is meant to ensure the separation of church and state. SB 1062, if enacted, would have violated that clause, in my opinion. And it would have taken much too long for the whole thing to be overturned by the courts.

So thank you, Governor Brewer, for standing up to the homophobes in Arizona.

And thank you, District Judge Orlando Garcia, for your Texas ruling in favor of love over bigotry.