The Republic | azcentral.com Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:53 PM

One day after Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, the Tempe City Council unanimously approved an anti-discrimination ordinance that will secure broad civil-rights protections for gay and transgender residents.

In interviews with The Arizona Republic, Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell and other council members said the GOP-controlled Legislature is out of touch with its constituents.

The council’s 7-0 vote was “another action that shows we don’t discriminate in our community,” Mitchell said Thursday. “We’re moving in the right direction in terms of equality.”

The city ordinance bans discrimination in housing, employment and accommodations at restaurants and hotels, but includes exceptions for religious organizations and social clubs.

Businesses or individuals that discriminate in Tempe on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, familial status, age, disability and U.S. military veteran status face a civil sanction with a fine up to $2,500.

Tempe became the fourth Arizona city to provide such protections, joining Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.

Conservative groups that supported SB 1062 — which would have offered a legal defense for individuals and businesses facing discrimination lawsuits if they could prove they acted upon a “sincerely held religious belief” — have complained that such city ordinances violate religious freedoms.

Arizona remains among 29 states where it is legal to fire someone because of sexual orientation.

Gays are also not a protected class under federal anti-

discrimination laws.

Tempe, however, is known as a bastion for liberal attitudes.

It was among the first U.S. municipalities to have an openly gay mayor, Neil Giuliano, who left office a decade ago after four terms as mayor.

“We were one of the first cities in the state that provided domestic benefits (for same-sex couples),” Mitchell said. “We want to make sure that businesses and people coming to Arizona know that we are working together for equality. ... I don’t tolerate discrimination ... and I’m really proud to work with a council that feels the same way.”

Reflecting on the whirlwind of the past week, Rebecca Wininger, president of Equality Arizona, said that the ordinance makes Tempe “a better city” and that she takes comfort “knowing that our community will not be a target for specific discrimination.”