Thinking about moving to Arizona? You’ll find a number of gay and lesbian real estate agents who can help you find the perfect home there. But before you make this move, you should learn your potential new home and how the state treats its LGBT citizens. Arizona can be a great place to live, especially for those looking for a place to retire to, but the state’s protections are limited, and it’s important that you know how limited they are and what to expect before buying a home there.
According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the larger cities in Arizona are very LGBT friendly. On their annual index that ranks cities according to their LGBT policies, Tucson, Tempe, and Phoenix all ranked a perfect 100. However, other cities in the state didn’t do so well. The fourth highest city on the list, Chandler, scored a 63, and it just went downhill from there. Not every city is going to see its LGBT citizens in the same way, which is something to keep in mind.
Marriage
Same-sex marriage became legal in the state on October 17, 2014, after several lawsuits ruled that the November 2008 state constitutional amendment that prevented same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This amendment was the last in a line of legal barriers against gay and lesbian marriage. The first was passed in 1975, when an emergency bill was passed that restricted marriage to one man and one woman. In 1996, legislators again voted to ban same-sex marriage, although this was only a law and not a change in the state’s constitution itself.
Prior to the legalization of same-sex marriage, several cities, including Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Tucson, plus Pima County, had all created domestic partner registries. Bisbee and Tucson had created civil unions.
Rights and Protections
The state has no barriers to individual adoption or second-parent adoption, but it does require all adoption agencies to give preference to placing children with a qualified married opposite-sex couple.
The state also has fairly weak discrimination protection laws. An executive order issued in 2003 bans discrimination in public employment based on sexual orientation only, although anti-discrimination laws protecting individuals in both orientation and gender identity have been passed in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Tucson.
The state’s hate crime laws cover sexual orientation, but not gender identity. Also, the state will only issue a new birth certificate to those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery.