WASHINGTON – Today, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory vetoed a bill that would allow public employees to refuse to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the fact that marriage equality is legal in the state. In response to this, Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement:

“I applaud Governor McCrory’s decision to veto the discriminatory Senate Bill 2. In doing so, he made a laudable stand for religious freedom and equality. When an individual chooses to work for the state government, they commit to serve everyone regardless of personal religious beliefs. To allow public employees to do otherwise, as SB 2’s proponents had aspired, would give religious ideology the government sanction that the First Amendment explicitly seeks to prohibit.”

“With this veto, which builds on his earlier opposition to misguided religious freedom legislation, Governor McCrory further establishes himself as a champion of the First Amendment. As similar legislation works its way through statehouses across the country, I hope other governors follow Governor McCrory’s courageous lead.”