Mississippi Governor pledges to sign law legalising anti-gay discrimination

PinkNews logo surrounded by illustrated images including a rainbow, unicorn, PN sign and pride flag.

The Governor of the US state of Mississippi has indicated that he will sign into law a bill which could legalise discrimination against gay people.

The US state of Mississippi on Tuesday quietly passed a bill which would legalise discrimination against gay and lesbian people based on religious belief.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, appeared last month to have been stalled, after the House sent it to a committee, rather than passing it, however the House and Senate have both approved a conference report on the bill.

The bill bans authorities from placing a “burden” on “a person’s right to the exercise of religion”, and could be used to protect business owners who discriminate against LGBT people.

According to reports, Republican Governor Phil Bryant released a statement on Wednesday saying he was proud of the measure, and that he pledged to sign it.

Mississippi currently has no anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people, and the bill passed on Tuesday could allow religious business owners to turn away gay or lesbian customers, based on religious belief.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) pointed to the fact that other states had rejected similar bills.

A similar bill was vetoed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer last month. 

 

 

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments