Van Jones Says Christian Companies Who Refuse to Serve Gays Shouldn’t, ‘Point to God to Excuse Bigotry’

Last week the Arizona state legislature passed a bill that would allow business owners in that state to refuse service to gays and lesbians based on the business owner’s religious beliefs.

Both US Republican Senators from Arizona John McCain and Jeff Flake tweeted objections to the bill SB 1062, and urged Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to use her veto power to strike down the bill.

I hope Governor Brewer will veto #SB1062

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) February 24, 2014

I hope Governor Brewer vetoes SB 1062

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) February 22, 2014

Even Gov. Mitt Romney tweeted his wish to see SB1062 vetoed

.@GovBrewer: veto of #SB1062 is right.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 25, 2014

Today, on ABC’s Face the Nation, former Obama Green Jobs Czar Van Johns likened the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King jr.’s death as a struggle for gay and lesbian rights.

National Review editor Rich Lowry responded to Jones saying:

“It’s different than the situation that you had in the Jim Crow South where you had state sanctioned discrimination that was flatly unconstitutional. And there is a governmental in insuring that African Americans could travel in the south, which you could do if no hotel or no restaurant would serve you. In this case the wedding industry is not bristling with hostility to gay people. You’re dealing with the occasional baker or florist who has the genuine conscientious objection. And if they do, you can find another baker or florist.”