It was unclear whether opponents would continue to marshal their forces in an attempt to repeal the measure as they are doing in North Carolina, however, where the Republican governor signed a law limiting bathroom options for transgender people and prohibiting local communities from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances.
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(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis).
We, among many, hoped the Governor would see the reasons, both moral and practical, to veto this bill and that he would have the courage and wisdom to do so.
The latest wave of measures, pushed by social conservatives, came after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling previous year that legalized same-sex marriage.
Last week Cuomo, a Democrat, banned state-funded travel to North Carolina after lawmakers there blocked anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people.
Phil Bryant is expected to sign the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act [SB 2681] into law. He warned other parts of the law may violate the 14th Amendment’s requirement for equal protection by imposing a stigma on same-sex marriage. “Freedom of religion is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans, but that freedom does not give any of us the right to harm or mistreat others”, ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins said in an email to the Clarion-Ledger. He called it a “nasty, vindictive piece of legislation”. “However, the MMA respects the wishes of the legislature and governor”, the group said. “I don’t think this bill left out any way to discriminate against them”. Bryant, a Republican, said the law protects religious freedom.
“I am not a political person but this is not politics, this is human rights”, said DeGeneres.
“We don’t have any national headquarters here and I don’t know of any that are moving here”, Latimer said. A number of Mississippi’s largest employers, including MGM Resorts and Nissan, have issued statements opposing the law, and major tech companies have also spoken out, claiming legal discrimination runs contrary to their values.
“I thought a lot about what I wanted to say today, and there’s something I want to get off my chest”, the 58-year-old comedienne explained in a new sneak peek of Thursday’s episode. It would also allow businesses and faith-based groups to deny housing, jobs and adoption and foster care services to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Private businesses could refuse marriage-related services such as room rentals, cakes, photography or flowers.
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Last month, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed a bill that would have restricted transgender students’ use of gender-specific facilities in public schools. For example, MS businesses are now legally permitted to deny services to same-sex couples, and woman can even be fired for wearing trousers.
