National LGBT groups join Arizona boycott

National LGBT groups join Arizona boycott

Twenty national LGBT organizations today issued a joint statement condemning a new Arizona immigration law they say unfairly targets Latinos. The statement calls on state lawmakers to repeal the law, and announces the groups have joined a boycott of the state along with major labor, immigration and Latino organizations.

From the statement:

S.B. 1070 essentially declares an entire class of people to be inherently criminal on the basis of their race and appearance. The consequences of S.B. 1070 are grave and troubling: the inevitability of racial profiling and infringement of civil liberties; the strong probability of violence and harassment against individuals and their families; and the reversal of progress toward creating a more inclusive society.

We also note that this bill was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer, the same governor who last year stripped away earned health insurance benefits from the same-sex domestic partners of state employees. Brewer’s actions as governor demonstrate, at best, callous indifference — and at worst, willful malice — toward immigrants and LGBT people alike.