Arizona
Balbir Singh Sodhi, early victim of 9/11 hate, honored on 20th anniversary of his death
By Alejandra Molina — September 16, 2021
(RNS) — ‘Balbir Uncle’s story could have ended here,’ said activist Valarie Kaur, ‘but this was not the end of his story. His death was a beginning because of how he lived.’
Arizona candidate’s claim that he’s a military chaplain draws investigation
By Joseph Hammond — July 14, 2021
(RNS) — A military source told RNS on the condition of anonymity that Stovall was not promoted to a full chaplain at the last chaplain board in June.
Passover’s promise of a safer place is America’s story this year
By Gabrielle Giffords — March 26, 2021
(RNS) — The former congresswoman and gun safety activist on Passover in a time of trauma.
A blue surprise? As Arizona trends toward Biden, Latino voters stand out
By Alejandra Molina — November 12, 2020
(RNS) — The election results in Arizona are a testament to the grassroots organizing work that has been present in the state for the past 10 years.
Arizona Supreme Court gives Christian artists a lot less than they asked for
By Mark Silk — September 23, 2019
(RNS) — Two graphic artists claim that the ruling means that Phoenix's anti-discrimination law "cannot compel us to imagine and create custom artwork that violates our beliefs." Actually, that's not the case.
Arizona artists win suit over same-sex wedding invitations
By Jacques Billeaud and Jonathan J. Cooper — September 17, 2019
(AP) — Though the state Supreme Court said its ruling is limited to custom wedding invitations, the justices addressed a larger question of religious freedom and LGBT rights than the Colorado wedding cake case.
Arizona Senate candidate under attack for being Muslim
By guest — July 20, 2017
(USA Today) — Responses to Deedra Abboud's Facebook posts have ranged from disturbing to just plain scary.
Botswana deporting U.S. pastor over anti-gay views
By Jerome Socolovsky — September 20, 2016
GABORONE, Botswana (Reuters) -- Steven Anderson, of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona, notoriously welcomed the gunning down in June of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida by saying "there's 50 less pedophiles in this world."
Anti-gay Arizona pastor denied entry to South Africa
By Fredrick Nzwili — September 13, 2016
(RNS) The pastor of Tempe's Faithful Word Baptist Church was due to visit South Africa later this month for a series of evangelical events.
Supreme Court rules for Arizona church in sign ordinance case
By Lauren Markoe — June 18, 2015
(RNS) A tiny Arizona church with no permanent home won 9-0 at the Supreme Court in a free speech case.
Pining for 1950s religiosity and missing the bigger picture (COMMENTARY)
By A. James Rudin — May 15, 2015
(RNS) "People prayed, people went to church. I remember on Sundays the stores were closed," said an Arizona state senator.
Is there a right way to respond to extreme homophobia? (ANALYSIS)
By Jay Michaelson — December 11, 2014
(RNS) The best reason to ignore Anderson isn’t to deny him press coverage, or to acknowledge that gay rights won and he lost, but to recognize that there are more important social justice issues the LGBT equality movement should focus on.
What happens next in the 20 states that still ban gay marriage?
By Brad Heath — October 7, 2014
(RNS) The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday leaves unchanged 20 state laws blocking same-sex unions. Each is already under legal attack, and some judges in those cases had been waiting to see what the high court would do. The court's instruction Monday: Proceed.
Why has Arizona become a hotbed of atheist political participation?
By Chris Stedman — May 29, 2014
The state of Arizona is an unlikely home for visible atheist politicians. But according to secular lobbyist Seráh Blain, a new national initiative may help more states mirror Arizona’s rapid expansion of atheist participation in politics.
Arizona Rep. Juan Mendez: We need atheist invocations
By Chris Stedman — May 14, 2014
After Greece vs. Galloway, Arizona Rep. Juan Mendez tells RNS why atheists should offer invocations at government meetings, and why all people should support them.
