Apple asks for veto of Arizona's controversial "anti-gay" bill

Technology behemoth Apple, maker of iPhones and iPads, has asked Arizona governor Jan Brewer to veto the state's controversial "anti-gay" bill that would--if signed into law--allow businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian individuals.

The Arizona Capitol Times reports that an Apple representative spoke with Brewer about the bill--SB1062--and asked her to veto it, though other details of their conversation have not been made public. Apple's request to the governor comes as the company is preparing to open a manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona that would employ 700 people and create over 1,000 construction and management jobs.

"Apple is indisputably one of the world's most innovative companies and I'm thrilled to welcome them to Arizona," Brewer said in a November-dated statement. "Apple will have an incredibly positive economic impact for Arizona and its decision to locate here speaks volumes about the friendly, pro-business climate we have been creating these past four years."

In offering its veto request, Apple joins other opponents of SB1062 including business organizations like The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Technology Council, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Others speaking out against the bill include major hotel chains, tourism groups, and AT&T.

Brewer has yet to take an official position on the bill, though she's like to make a decision on whether it becomes a law or not sometime this week.