Phoenix, Arizona — Shortly after Arizona Senate Republicans issued an incoherent press release accusing LGBTQ+ Arizonans of somehow posing a danger to children and opposing nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people, Human Rights Campaign Arizona State Director Bridget Sharpe issued the following response:

“There is no place in our country for the blatant lies and false accusations being pushed today by Arizona Senate Republican Leadership. They know that this harmful propaganda just isn’t true. Their statement is not at all about keeping kids safe, it’s about riling up a small number of extremist base voters.”

“LGBTQ+ people are our friends, family members, colleagues, and community members. They deserve the same basic protections as everyone else — to live their lives with safety, privacy, and dignity. That Arizona Senate GOP Leadership is seemingly against the nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that hundreds of major U.S. corporations, 79% of Americans and 77% of Arizonans support is out of step with the needs of everyday Arizonans.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.