By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX -- Arizona lawmakers have given the go-ahead to pretty much every group that has come to them seeking a special license plate to help raise money.
They added a few more Wednesday, including for sororities and fraternities.
But on a party-line vote they drew the line at extending that to an organization that wants to raise money to provide community college scholarships to students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning or asexual. And that, said Rep. Lorena Austin, proves that all the talk by Republicans of equal treatment is just that.
"So I don't stand for the hypocrisy in this chamber,'' the Mesa Democrat said.
"You want rights and freedoms for certain people,'' said Austin who is nonbinary. "But not people like me. And not like other people in this chamber.''
Not a single Republican spoke to justify the exclusion.
State law provides a method for groups to raise money by getting a special license plate. Of the $25 fee, $8 goes to the Department of Transportation with the balance going to the designated organization.
The sponsoring group must raise the first $32,000 for production costs.
But none of this can happen unless lawmakers first give their blessing.
That's happened more than 100 times.
Some are for organizations that have their own charities, like the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Others have a narrower focus, like the Arizona Science Center plate to provide science education to students, teachers and families. There's also a plate with the saying "It shouldn't hurt to be a child'' that funds child abuse prevention programs.
Several tribes have state-approved plates that raise money for local projects.
And those interested in preserving historic Route 66 can purchase a plate to contribute to that cause.
But Austin noted that others have a clear point of view.
For example, there's a "Choose Life'' plate whose proceeds go to the Arizona Life Coalition, promoted as a network of churches and others who say they educate people about the "harmful effects of abortion.''
And the Alliance Defending Freedom got lawmakers to allow creation of the "In God We Trust'' license plate.
The Scottsdale-based organization of Christian attorneys said it uses the funds to support its work which has included not just opposing abortion rights -- it urged the Arizona Supreme Court in 2023 to reinstate the 1864 law that outlaws all abortions except to save the life of the mother -- but also tried to block same-sex marriages. It also has representing businesses like the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado whose owners did not want to bake cakes for gay couples.
"I don't understand how its fair that we accept all these other groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom with their religious plates but not a community that doesn't choose to do anything but who they are,'' Austin said.
What's also important, Austin said, is that none of this involves state dollars, with the costs being fronted by the sponsoring organization.
"And, guess what?'' the lawmaker said. "People won't even be forced to pick this plate because it's entirely up to someone's choice'' to buy it and put it on a vehicle.
All of that comes back to what Austin said is the public pronunciations by lawmakers that they are not biased.
"When people in this body say, 'Oh, I'm not necessarily against you or your community,' here's your opportunity to prove it,'' Austin said.
"You'll come up to me and say, 'Hello,' you're super kind to me, we have conversations,'' Austin continued. "And then you ignore me, you ignore my community, and you ignore people who just want to exist.''
And Austin said the fact that lawmakers voted to add more plates on Wednesday to the 100-plus list of those they find acceptable, "exactly proves the point that the LGBTQ community is being discriminated against here.
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