Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe on
Thursday vetoed a bill which sought to protect opponents of marriage
equality.
The bill, introduced by Republican
Senator Charles Carrico, protects individuals who refuse to
participate in a marriage ceremony based on their “religious belief
or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the
union of one man and one woman” from criminal or civil liability.
The bill's definition of a “person” includes an “organization
supervised or controlled by or operated in connection with a
religious organization.”
Republican Delegate Nicholas Freitas
backed an identical bill in the House of Delegates.
In announcing his decision to veto the
bill, McAuliffe, a Democrat, called the legislation “discriminatory.”
Equality Virginia Executive Director
James Parrish applauded McAuliffe's decision in a statement, saying
that the bill “does not protect religious liberty” but instead
“provides a license to discriminate against loving LGBTQ families;
furthermore, its broad and vague definition of 'person' would set a
dangerous precedent for discriminatory individuals and groups to be
protected by our religious freedom laws.”