The state of Arizona's Legislature has passed a controversial bill that would allow business owners, as long as they assert their religious beliefs, to deny service to gay and lesbian customers.
They say businesses have a right to sell how they want. It is their business and they have that freedom, if for religious reasons especially.
"They can go to another store and I'm sure they could use the extra business", says one about the passage of the bill. "In fact, the ones who are wanting to do this may lose so much business they may have to close down."
The bill, which the state House of Representatives passed by a 33-27 vote this week, now goes to Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican and former small business owner who vetoed almost the legislation last year but has expressed the right of business owners to deny service.
"It's up to the people who own a business to choose who they work with or who they don't work with," Brewer told ABC Friday. "In my life and one of my businesses, if I don't want to do business or if I don't want to deal with a particular company or person or whatever, I'm not interested. That's America. That's what we have always called freedom."
