HRC Blog

Arizona Gov. Brewer Wants to Take Away DP Benefits

July 9, 2012 by Dan Rafter, Online Campaigns Manager

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer – whose notorious immigration law was dissected by the Supreme Court last month – is going back for more; asking the Justices to overturn a Ninth Circuit decision that allows state employees to include their domestic partners on benefits, including health insurance. The Ninth Circuit denied a request three months ago to re-hear the case en banc.

With this filing, Governor Brewer is seeking to deprive people in her state of access to affordable healthcare – particularly LGBT people.

Brewer joins extremist politicians – like the lawmakers in Tennessee who sought to advance the state’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, or those in Oklahoma who supported attempts to re-instate the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in their national guard, or those who actively spread misinformation about LGBT people to push back against marriage equality – in advancing an agenda specifically targeted at discriminating against and harming lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

The good news is, Brewer is on the wrong side of history – particularly in her home state. Arizona residents by and large are supportive of LGBT equality. A recent PPP poll found that 77 percent of Arizona voters support either full marriage equality or civil unions. 83 percent of independents in the state support marriage or civil unions, along with 63 percent of Republicans.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) signed into law a bill that will strip Michigan public employees of domestic partner benefits late last year.

H/T Chris Geidner