"A Huge Miss(issippi) for the LGBT Community" - Connor Coleman (8th Period)

On April 5, Mississippi Governor, Phil Bryant, signed a 'religious freedom' bill that heavily discriminates the LGBT community, and specifically the gay community. The governor's only argument as to why he signed it was simply that he believed it would hold up the sanctity of people with religious beliefs within the state. Although the law doesn't take away first amendment rights, it does negate the bill Obama passed in June 2015, legalizing gay marriage, as the bill states "upon religious beliefs, one is not forced to act on any marriage, adoption or medical attention to those who are gay/transgender." The LGBT community of Mississippi protested the passage of the bill, but was unfortunately unable to sway the verdict of Gov. Bryant.

The bill passed is a repetition of history: a new law that discriminates and negates and previous law. Gay people are being discriminated and not able to marry even though Obama passed the law for the entire country to require same-sex marriage. This is much like when the Jim Crow Laws were formed. The Jim Crow laws were formed by the South in a revolt against the previous law stating all people, including people of color, were equal and free (thus abolishing slavery), yet the Jim Crow laws set in place negated the previous amendments by legalizing segregation and creating further inequality, even though laws were set in place to turn over those pre-Civil War standards.

All in all, the law won't please everyone, but it is a law, and one should not go and try to negate it.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/05/us/mississippi-governor-signs-religious-freedom-bill/index.html