It adds that while the state of NY “is a national leader in protecting the civil rights and liberties of all its citizens”, MS now “permits and enshrines discrimination against LGBT citizens”.
Advertisement
This law is supposed to protect business owners and employees, more specifically their morals and beliefs, and it gives them the opportunity to practice their religious beliefs and freedom.
The measure signed by Gov. Phil Bryant of MS allows churches, religious charities and privately held businesses to decline services to people if doing so would violate their religious beliefs on marriage and gender. Chandler tried to block reporters from asking questions by saying repeatedly: “Not today”.
Gov. Phil Bryant and other supporter of the bill disagree.
Among government employees, individual clerks could refuse to issue marriage licenses and judges could refuse to marry gay couples. These include businesses involved in photography, poetry, videography, disc-jockey services, wedding planning, printing, publishing, floral arrangements, dress making, cake or pastry artistry, assembly-hall or other wedding-venue rentals, limousine or other car-service rentals, jewellery sales and services. In a 5-4 ruling, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.
Religious objections provisions have been fraught with controversy, as civil rights groups have condemned them as thinly veiled bigotry while religious conservatives have maintained that they are about preserving religious freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
In 2015, Governor Cuomo banned non-essential state travel to the state of In after that state’s legislature passed a controversial religious freedom measure that did not prohibit discrimination against LGBT citizens.
And, there is the cost to Mississippi’s image.
Last week, Murray also signed an executive order banning official city travel to North Carolina.
“Discrimination is not a NY value”.
The law is set to go into effect by July 1.
A Justice Department response was not immediately available.
Executives for 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. called for the law’s repeal in a letter released by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights group. Although same-sex couples are now able to marry in all 50 states, the LGBT community – particularly transgender Americans – have since encountered new barriers to equality, often in the form of state laws that provide legal cover to religious opponents of same-sex marriage and nondiscrimination protections.
Thousands of people in MS “can now be turned away from businesses, refused marriage licenses, or denied housing, essential services and needed care based on who they are”, she claimed.
Brad Smith (@BradSmi), president and chief legal officer at Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), said, “Very disappointing to see the news from Mississippi”.
Advertisement
Herbalife tweeted, “We are proud to join @equalitync, @HRC and a chorus of business voices opposed to #HB2”, referring to the North Carolina law that requires people to use bathrooms or locker rooms in schools and other public facilities that match the gender on their birth certificate, rather than their gender identity.
