Georgia's Republican governor blocks anti-LGBT 'religious liberty' bill

After weeks of pressure from prominent corporations, Georgia's Republican governor has decided to veto a "religious liberty" bill pushed by social conservatives that gay rights groups had decried as discriminatory.

"Our people work side by side without regard to the color of our skin, or the religion we adhere to," Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared at a Monday morning press conference. "We are working to make life better for our families and our communities. That is the character of Georgia. I intend to do my part to keep it that way."

The legislation would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services to those who violate their "sincerely held religious beliefs" and preserve their right to fire employees who aren't in accord with those beliefs. That meant those organizations could have refused service to and refused to hire gay and transgender people.

The bill also would have protected clergy who refused to perform same-sex marriages.

Republicans had passed the legislation through the statehouse with ease, and Deal's decision to decision to split with his party and invite the wrath of the state's powerful religious conservatives shows how effective a coalition of gay rights and business groups was in derailing the bill in the fast-changing state.

More than a dozen big-name companies had threatened to boycott the state if Deal had signed the bill into law, including Disney, Marvel, AMC, Apple, Intel, Time Warner, Hilton and Marriott. Hollywood celebrities also lined up in opposition, and the National Football League had warned that Atlanta would lose out on its bid to host the Super Bowl in 2019 if the state passed the law. 

While Deal had expressed skepticism toward similar legislation in previous years, the business pressure almost certainly played a role in his final decision.

Gay rights groups celebrated the big win.

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Deal's move to block the bill comes less than a week after next-door North Carolina's governor signed a controversial bill that bars cities from allowing transgender people to use public restrooms specified for the gender they identify as. Opponents of that law filed a federal lawsuit to block it from going into effect on Monday.

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