In a speech praised by civil rights activists and spurned by some political and religious leaders, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal today announced his decision to veto a controversial ‘religious liberty’ bill. The bill would have allowed pastors to refuse to marry same-sex couples and would have given faith-based organizations in Georgia the option to deny services and jobs to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
READ full transcript of Deal’s remarks
Opposition to the bill had been mounting for weeks as a steady list of companies threatened to pull their business from Georgia if the governor signed House Bill 757 into law. The list of companies that spoke out publicly against the bill includes Disney (which films in Georgia), Coca-Cola, SalesForce, Home Depot, Time-Warner and other Fortune 500 companies based in Atlanta. The NFL also said if the bill became law it could hurt Atlanta’s chances of hosting the Super Bowl.
Supporters of the bill criticize the governor for bowing to big business but Deal insists his decision was “about the character of our state and the character of our people. Georgia is a welcoming state. It is full of loving, kind and generous people. … I intend to do my part to keep it that way. For that reason I will veto House Bill 757.”
CNN reports that Georgia State Senator Mike Crane who supported HB 757 has called for a special session to override Deal’s veto, saying it’s an example of how corporations and lobbyists buy influence with “the political class.”
Both chambers of the Republican-dominated Georgia Legislature passed the bill a few weeks ago. Other versions of the legislation failed to pass in previous years.
