After weeks of debate in both House of Representatives, and Senate, Bryant signed Tuesday. This was a result of citizen backlash, support, promises of civil liberty groups, and condemnation by major corporations and businesses. Bryant’s decision to sign the bill that “protects religious liberty” for those who are usually involved in same-sex weddings (such as photographers, pastors, and businesses related to weddings) attracted national attention. The law will take effect July 1. Bryant stated Tuesday morning that the bill did not restrict any constitutionally protected rights and actions of citizens of the state, whether they be under state or federal laws. Bryant said that the bill does not seek to challenge federal laws, even if they conflict with the Mississippi Constitution. Bryant also stated in a statement Tuesday morning that he did not intend to limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of citizens of the state under federal or state laws. Bryant’s spokespeople remained silent about Bryant’s decision and failed multiple requests from Mississippi Today and other media outlets regarding the decision. Bryant joined J.T. Just minutes after the release of the statement, Bryant joined Supertalk radio’s J.T. He explained why he signed the law. Bryant stated, “The perception of law” is unfortunate. Believe me, the law protects all rights, and that’s exactly what I did. It was signed by me to ensure that we were protecting civil liberties for faith-based communities and not discriminating against other groups. This is the position that we are trying to reach.” Despite the majority support of both houses, widespread criticism has been levelled at the bill since it was passed by the Senate on March 30. Civil liberty groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Human Rights Campaign in Mississippi have stated that they will sue the state for violating their rights now that the bill is passed. The potential lawsuit has been called “easy to win” by some Mississippi legal scholars. “I believe lightning will strike if the bill is signed into law.” Nearly 12 Mississippi businesses have issued statements in opposition to it. AT&T and IBM, Levi Strauss & Co. Mass Mutual, MGM Resorts Apple Computers Hyatt Hotels Nissan, Toyota, Tyson Foods and Hyatt Hotels are just a few of the companies that have issued statements opposing it. There have been multiple protests across Mississippi over the past two weeks. One was attended by around 200 people Monday at the Governor’s Mansion. People gathered to call for Gov. Phil Bryant must veto this bill. Despite tension mounting over the governor’s inadvertent action on the bill bill, state lawmakers and their supporters have not wavered in their determination to pass it. Rep. Andy Gipson (R-Braxton), co-sponsor of this bill, said that “this bill really doesn’t discriminate against anyone.” “Any same-sex couple who wants to marry or do whatever they want can do it. If you have a religious objection, you can politely state that you don’t want to do it without being punished by the state government. The bill was introduced in response to Obergefell v. Hodges, a U.S Supreme Court decision that upheld same-sex marriage. Branning spoke out on the Senate floor about the bill in March. She said that the backlash against her bill was so strong, she deleted her Facebook page. She is a practicing attorney and has publicly defended it and said that it was “absolutely Constitutional”. The Mississippi Economic Council issued a statement against the legislation before it was signed into law: “As a State Chamber of Commerce for Mississippi that has proven itself to be hospitable, business-friendly, MEC opposes any efforts that would inadvertently or unintentionally stop Mississippi businesses from implementing and enforcing discrimination policies or that would restrict diversity and inclusion impacting their members, and will damage Mississippi’s image. Bryant should veto this bill. Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has banned all state-funded travel to Mississippi. Bryant signed House Law 523. After the law’s passage, Vermont has banned official travel from Mississippi. Bryant stated in the statement that the legislation was designed to protect the rights of citizens from government interference. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story You can freely republish our articles online or in print under a Creative Commons licence. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Mississippi Today, Adam Ganucheau
April 5, 2016, Adam Ganucheau is Mississippi Today’s editor in chief. He oversees the newsroom with the editorial staff to achieve our mission of producing journalism that is both high-quality and public-interest. Since February 2016, Adam Ganucheau has been covering politics and state government at Mississippi Today. A native of Hazlehurst, Adam has worked as a staff reporter for AL.com, The Birmingham News and The Clarion-Ledger and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Adam received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi. It’s also the responsibility of the government to prevent any malicious acts against individuals. However, the MS legislature has determined that transgender people are not worthy of such assistance. If you are transgender, seek mental help. It doesn’t matter what physical body you have, you’re never going to be happy because you hate yourself. This type of thinking is caused by mental defects. Cathy, you’re amazing! Are you from Mississippi? Have you ever lived in another state? What do you do for work? Just curious. I don’t reside in MS. I am fully educated and an ex-librarian. Don’t bullshite me. All that I said is fact. If you can’t manage it, get a chair and some rope. Killfiled. omg! I already have a chair, and some rope! What now? What does “killfiled” mean? You didn’t even say what your job is. Dave, this person may believe that it is how you build an airplane. Perhaps it’s how they transform a country that doesn’t like a constitution to one they accept. Rope + Chair = They Don’t Have to Listen! Argyles. It’s just…so…hard…to…resist. I have always wanted to see the real faces of these people, with their self-assurance and caps lock. I am now free from this obsession. Your professional opinion will be taken into consideration and filed in the correct receptacle. I am not able to interact with bigots because of my religion. I am none of these, but I will not do business with anyone who does not support the CONSTITUTION. The Constitution protects religious freedom. Until GAY people began PERVERTING and circumventing that protection, it was. In REALITY, people who refuse to allow religious freedom – are the BIGOTS-YOU. Section 3 of the bill states: The deeply held moral convictions or beliefs that are protected by this act include: […] (c). Male (man) and female (woman) refers to an individual’s immutable biological sexuality as objectively determined by their anatomy and genetics at conception. In the case of an individual with Androgen Insensitivity syndrome, the person at birth is anatomically a woman but genetically a man. This person can marry whom? Which toilet should he use? There are two sexes: male and female. If someone is unable to think straight, they will need MENTAL HEALTH care, not a SEX CHANGE. You should learn more about biology and medicine. There are more than two sexes. Sometimes doctors make the decision for a person, and not God. Are you sure that these doctors are divine? This would include Jewish, Muslim, and Atheist doctors. Are they being guided by God? Do you feel we should all just shout that everyone was born in one of these camps, and that it will all be better? Perhaps God is aware that some people can be sex-changed and is working with them one to one. God may not need you to stop people from sinking. You will find that Jesus recommends you leave God’s judgments. While you may have your opinions about other people, you don’t have to agree with them. However, you do not have the right to make laws against transgender individuals. In America, your religion does not give you the right to interfere with someone else’s decision-making. Perhaps you would do better living under a religious regime like the Taliban. Total bullshit. 2 sexes. PERIOD. It’s not something you like, it’s tough shit. You are mentally ill if you think otherwise. You aren’t making my point. Your point is the one that most people don’t agree with. Perhaps it is your mental health that needs attention. You continue to argue for a point that is completely absurd to everyone else. I don’t think any gay person has ever denied you the right of marrying anyone you want. They don’t deny you the right to use the bathroom, flowers, a hotel or a cake. The US government denies you the right to discriminate. You are also able to discriminate against them without any religious provocation, something I confess you have never mentioned.