Gov. Brewer expert at running over LGTB Rights

 Long before Brewer was running over the rights of people of color and huffing and puffing about immigration, she was also targeting Arizona's gay and lesbian population. Right after taking over for former Governor Napolitano, Brewer signed legislation that dismantled a domestic partnership program in Arizona that allowed state employees to extend benefits to their domestic partners, as well as their children. She did this by switching up the word "dependent," so that it meant only those spouses or children that were products of straight folks (or, in other words, "traditional marriage").

The move drew outrage from many around the state, including folks from the University of Arizona, which were dramatically impacted by Brewer's decision to redefine family. Liz Sawyer, an employee at the school and a spokesperson for a staff group, OUTReach, that works on behalf of LGBT rights, called Brewer's move "deplorable" and "tragic." After all, this was a callous move by Brewer to swipe benefits away from men, women and children.

Now, with Brewer's law set to go into effect October 1, the University of Arizona has responded by setting up a program that will allow University employees to extend certain benefits to their same-sex partners, including vision, dental and medical care. That has Sawyer and OUTReach smiling.

"It's really nice to know that even though the state is not committed to equality, our university is. This administration has been so supportive of the LGTB (lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual) community. We're just all breathing a huge sigh of relief," Sawyer said, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Kudos to the University of Arizona for showing that Gov. Brewer's homophobia didn't have to be the last word on this subject. The new plan at the University doesn't rely on state funding, either, so there's likely little Brewer can do to prevent this from taking shape.

Back when Brewer dismantled the domestic partnership program, she also went on record saying that God had pre-destined her to be Governor of Arizona, so that she could help the state "weather its troubles." Hey, who knows, maybe that bodes well for Brewer. Because the last politician to say that God pre-destined them for office became the 43rd President of the United States. And we all know how that works out for everybody...