After weeks of controversy over a bill passed by the Georgia Legislature that drew sharp criticisms from major corporations like Disney and Microsoft, some threatening to boycott the state, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday at a press conference said he would veto the legislation.
Later Monday, Deal did veto the bill, which would have granted Georgia religious nonprofits the ability to deny services to same-sex couples.
“It is about the character of our state and character of our people. Georgia is a welcoming people. It is full of loving, kind and generous people,” Deal said at the press conference.
The measure, called the “Free Exercise Protection Act,” combined a number of bills filed in the state Legislature this session and passed with a Republican majority just a few hours after its contents were made public following private negotiations within the party.
It would allow religious nonprofits, based on their beliefs, to deny services to a same-sex couple, or a lesbian mother, for example.
