Sunday, Arkansans from various backgrounds gathered in Little Rock for an emergency meeting to stand against H.B. 1228– an Indiana-style bill that will open the door to discrimination against LGBT people, people of color, religious minorities, women and other minority groups across the state.
After a formal procedural hurdle, the bill will be on its way to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk. HRC has repeatedly called on the governor to veto this legislation, including at a press conference Thursday. The bill could be signed as early as Monday.
The bill has been opposed by Wal-Mart, Apple, and the Arkansas Municipal League for weeks. Last week, following the enactment of a similar bill in Indiana, a wave of high-tech companies like Yelp and Salesforce—precisely the kinds of investment Gov. Hutchinson has said he hopes to attract to the state—have condemned this kind of legislation.
