On Wednesday, Walmart praised Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson for refusing to sign a bill that could encourage discrimination by allowing business owners to refuse service to LGBT customers.

A similar disputed bill, known as Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), was signed last week in Indiana by Gov. Mike Pence.

It says that governments can't interfere on a person's religious rights unless it has a compelling government interest and is acting in the least intrusive way possible.

Since he signed the law, several public figures and businesses have come out against it since the legislature would legally protect employers, landlords and business owners who discriminate against LGBT people on religious grounds.

Walmart urged Hutchinson a day earlier to veto the measure in a bid to protect religious freedom. The retail giant posted a statement in its Twitter feed that asked the governor to reject legislation.

On his Twitter account, Doug McMillon, Walmart's chief executive, wrote, "The bill's passage threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present through the state of Arkansas and does not reflect the values we proudly uphold. Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve".

Although Walmart has avoided touching public policy for the most part, generational change, as well as rapidly shifting public opinion on issues like same-sex marriage, has pushed the retailer giant to take a strong, public stand.

According to G. Nelson, co-founder and president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Walmart was abysmal on L. G. B. T. issues back five years, but it now has a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.

He added that it is very powerful to come out and say that the bill cannot discriminate against L. G. B. T. people.