A pro-discrimination bill is about to become law in Arkansas, yet until now the national mainstream media has largely ignored it. Why?
Arkansas lawmakers last week passed sweeping legislation that bans towns and cities from enacting and enforcing any non-discrimination protections that the state does not already enforce. While LGBT people are not specifically mentioned in the text of the bill, the intent is quite clear.
Grassroots activists have been urging Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson to veto the bill, but he has stated that while he will not sign it, he will allow it to automatically pass into law.
Today, MSNBC’s José DÃaz-Balart became one of the few national mainstream journalists to address the anti-gay legislation.
“A story there has gotten little national attention, but some are calling a big setback for civil rights,” DÃaz-Balart reports. “One things this bill reminded me of is kinda [SB 1062] where we saw businesses you know, Apple, Chase, airlines say they’re not going to go do business there if your state makes these kinds of laws. Is there any similarity here?”
Andrew DeMillo of the AP, DÃaz-Balart’s guest this morning. He told the MSNBC journalist,
“We haven’t seen business groups saying that yet. You know part of the argument that sponsors had made for SB 202 in Arkansas is they had argued that not having a uniforming of discrimination ordinances across the state would be a deterrent to businesses moving here.”
“One of the problems with that is the sponsor of that hasn’t really named any specific business that have not moved to Arkansas because of the lack of uniformity in these ordinances.”
“What it will effectively do is bar any cities from adding any protections for the lesbian, gay or bisexual community because it bans them from going beyond what’s spelled out in state law. State law does not offer protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”
A website created by New York City-based LGBT activist Scott Wooledge, Gov. Hutchinson Must Veto SB202, posted the video and transcript. Wooledge is urging everyone to contact Gov. Hutchinson to ask him to veto the bill, known as SB202.
Regular readers will remember these recent articles about SB202 and its author:
Gay Gulf War Vet Apologizes For His Lawmaker Brother Who Is Supporting Pro-Discrimination Bill
Arkansas Governor Will Let Anti-LGBT ‘License To Discriminate’ Bill Become Law
Breaking: Arkansas Lawmakers Send ‘Right To Discriminate’ Bill To Governor’s Desk
‘Singled Out’ GOP Lawmaker To End All LGBT Protections ‘Because I Am Married To One Woman’
Watch the video: