The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee has joined the calls for Gov. Jan Brewer to veto SB 1062. The bill would allow businesses to deny service to gays and others based on religious beliefs. Smaller organizations with upcoming events in Arizona are also taking notice.
The American School Counselor Association is scheduled to hold its annual conference at the Phoenix Convention Center in summer 2015 with as many as 2,500 people attending. Richard Wong, the association's executive director, said his group is watching the issue closely and has not decided whether it will still come to Arizona if the bill becomes law.
"I think it's more than just the economics of our members possibly boycotting our conference and not coming. I think it's really more philosophical and it really goes to the heart of what we stand for and what we believe in," Wong said.
The National Association of the Deaf has its national conference booked at the Convention Center in July 2016 and wants to see SB 1062 vetoed. In a statement, CEO Howard Rosenblum said if the becomes law, the group's board and members may require that the conference be relocated.