"Mississippi God Damn..."

A sign we are likely to see soon in Mississippi

Yesterday, in a move that surprised no one, Mississippi actually passed a "right to discriminate" bill.  And although it's deliberations have been widely reported on, there was no nationwide outcry as in the case of Arizona which got me to wondering why?  I think it's because we expect this kind of thing from the most backward and intransigent state in the Union.  Sadly, hate and oppression is the status quo in Mississippi.

Speed Read: Mississippi Bias

Lisa Keen
April 1, 2014


MISSISSIPPI PASSES BIAS BILL: The Mississippi House and Senate Tuesday adopted a final version of a religious bias bill, sending the measure to Republican Governor Phil Bryant for his signature. The final Mississippi Religious Freedom Act will enable any “person” to violate any state or local law or regulation (such as non-discrimination laws) by asserting the law burdens his free exercise of religion. The act carves out business exceptions, saying, “Nothing in this act shall create any rights by an employee against an employer if the employer is not the government.” If signed by Bryant, the bill goes into effect July 1. Opponents say some people will use the law to refuse services gays, blacks and others. There are no laws in Mississippi to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but the Human Rights Campaign says some universities have non-discrimination policies and the new law could allow pharmacists to refuse to provide HIV and hormone replacement drugs. Jennifer Riley-Collins, executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi, said her group remains “hopeful that courts throughout the state will reject any attempts to use religion to justify discrimination.”

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"Fear Eats the Soul"