Arizona bill on refusing service: Furor, urgent appeals to Gov. Brewer

Arizonans are awaiting Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision on whether she will approve or veto a law to bolster the rights of business owners to refuse service to gays and others on the basis of religion.

Pressure is mounting on both sides of the issue for her to act quickly. Those who oppose and those who support the state’s latest high-profile law, SB 1062, have taken to social media, big time, to express their opinions.

Some business owners — a pizzeria owner in Tucson as well as the chief executive of American Airlines — have decried the bill, saying it would be catastrophic to Arizona tourism if it were signed into law.

SB1062 EXPLAINED: Arizona business already can refuse gays

Other foes have threatened boycotts. Some big-name business and groups have urged Brewer to veto it, including Apple, Marriot and the 2015 Arizona Super Bowl Committee.

A few local business owners, however, have come out in support of the bill on Twitter. They believe the measure has been misrepresented as discriminatory when it is intended to protect religious freedom.

See our roundup below of social media reaction (or here’s a link for mobile users).