On Tuesday Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law HB 1523, which is widely-regarded as state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people.
Under the new law, private citizens, organizations, businesses — even government employees — could refuse service to LGBT people on moral or religious grounds.
The legislation passed last week, but was held over for possible reconsideration until Monday. The Governor’s signature was needed to make it law.
We, among many, hoped the Governor would see the reasons, both moral and practical, to veto this bill and that he would have the courage and wisdom to do so. Bryant was not equal to the task.
The law attracted immediate attention in the national media. The governors of Washington, Vermont and New York announced travel bans to Mississippi, a symbolic gesture, certainly, but one that hints at the disdain that will rain down on our state in the weeks ahead.
Meanwhile, the business community, both inside and outside the state, has been uniform in opposition the bill. Historically, Mississippi has struggled to bring new jobs to our state as virtually all the economic measurables affirm. The last thing we need is yet another reason business should not come to Mississippi.
We are throwing the first punch in what is, quite simply, an unnecessary fight.
In Mississippi, LGBT people are not a protected class. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that same-sex couples have a Constitutional right to marry, they can be lawfully discriminated against in many areas — jobs, housing, even basic services. The infamous attack on the Christian florist who refuses to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple is a myth here: There are no state laws that compel that baker to perform that service.
This is, then, a loud, embarrassing solution looking for a problem that does not exist. Bryant himself acknowledged this new law does not supersede any federal anti-discrimination laws. By his own admission, the new law achieves absolutely nothing — except, of course, further damage the reputation of our state and its people.
That the law was cast as a matter of religious freedom is especially unfortunate. A religion that seeks to ostracize, marginalize and punish outsiders is hardly a gospel worth “protecting” and once you take that position, you may as well rip the Golden Rule out of the scriptures. This law cheapens the religion it alleges to promote by turning it into a mean-spirited political tool.
This is not a matter of religion. The true motive behind this law is obvious. It is an attempt by the state to thumb its nose at an unpopular Supreme Court decision.
Mississippi has a tradition of that, too, a stubborn defiance that soothes the hurt feelings of those who remain devoted to yet another Lost Cause that deserves to be lost.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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