Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed a law Tuesday asserting a “broad protection of free exercise of religious beliefs”.
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“The Mississippi law prevents discrimination in a manner that is balanced and clear”, Severino said in a news release, “which left little room for ideological opponents to make wild hypothetical accusations against the bill as they had done with Indiana’s religious freedom proposal a year ago”.
The Heritage Foundation leader says it’s wrong to view the bill as “anti-gay” or “discriminatory” and is urging other states to follow Mississippi’s example.
Cuomo how he felt about this legislation.
Minnesota is among a handful of states, including NY and Vermont to ban non essential state funded travel to Mississippi.
Last month, Governor Cuomo also banned non-essential state travel to North Carolina, following that state’s enactment of a law which bars transgender individuals from using restrooms appropriate for their gender identities. Bryant said in his statement that the law “does not limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of any citizen of this state under federal or state laws”.
The measure’s stated goal is to protect those who believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, that sexual relations should only take place inside such marriages, and that male and female genders are unchangeable. Who could forget the infamous Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, who denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples in spite of the national law.
Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights group, says Wednesday that executives of General Electric Co., Dow Chemical Co., PepsiCo Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Choice Hotels International Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and Whole Foods Market Inc. have signed an open letter denouncing the bill that Bryant signed Tuesday.
As the AP puts it: “Mississippi, with a slow-growing economy, no Fortune 500 company headquarters and little technology employment, could be less vulnerable than other states to major corporations exerting economic pressure”. Bryant, a Republican, said the law protects religious freedom.
Under HB 1523, the state government will not act against any religious organisation that will solemnise or decline to solemnise any marriage, and refuse to provide services, accommodation, facilities, goods or privileges related to the marriage based on its religious beliefs.
After ending a 37-hour Democratic filibuster, the Republican-led Senate passed a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would bar government penalties against individuals and business such as florists or photographers who cite “a honest religious belief” while declining to provide “services of expressional or artistic creation” for same-sex weddings and receptions.
Those that could deny services to same sex couples are DJs, wedding planners, florists, venue rental companies, among others in wedding services.
Numerous laws directly affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
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Law professors at the University of Mississippi, Mississippi College, Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University in New York City say in a joint statement that the law violates freedom of religion.
