The son of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) wrote on Wednesday that he was “proud” to stand up for gay rights by urging his father to reject a religious-freedom bill many feared would permit discrimination against gay people.
At a Wednesday morning press conference where the governor announced he would ask the state legislature to recall the bill, he noted that his son, Seth, had signed a petition urging him to veto it.
The younger Hutchinson later wrote on Facebook that he was proud to have taken a stand and called for others to do the same.
“I hope that the groundswell of grassroots opposition to HB 1228 and other similar discriminatory bills around the country will energize more Americans and help create a long-lasting drive for change in this country,” he wrote.
He added that Americans must build a “mass movement” to fight for “economic, environmental, and social justice.”
Read Seth Hutchinson’s post below:
I am happy that my Dad is now calling on legislators to rework HB 1228. I had communicated with him my opposition to the bill, along with thousands of other Arkansans and concerned citizens around the country. I’m proud to have made a small contribution to the overall effort to stop discrimination against the LGBT community in Arkansas, the state that I love (Go hogs!). I love and respect my father very much, but sometimes we have political disagreements, just as many families do. Most importantly, I hope that the groundswell of grassroots opposition to HB 1228 and other similar discriminatory bills around the country will energize more Americans and help create a long-lasting drive for change in this country, on many issues. We must build a mass movement of Americans fighting for economic, environmental, and social justice if we want to see real progress.
h/t Huffington Post
Whoa, Seth, way to go…Patricide by press release.
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child, eh, Asa?
Hmmm…sounding a lot like a democrat…as in most families we all have political differences. Nice when they listen to each other. The Governor should be proud of his son
It sounds like he is!
The governor seems to be tossing some word salad in explaining what’s he’s going to ask the legislature to do. The mayor of Little Rock is asking for a veto. Does Hutchinson anticipate the legislature would override an outright veto?
I have a feeling that Walmart’s denunciation of the bill carried more weight with Asa’s decision than the opinion of his son.