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Amy Goodman

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Mississippi Gov. Signs Sweeping Anti-LGBT Law

HeadlineApr 06, 2016

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has signed a sweeping anti-LGBT law, which will allow organizations and businesses to deny people an array of services based on religious objections. Opponents say the new law, set to take effect in July, will legalize discrimination against LGBT people. American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi head Jennifer Riley-Collins said, “This is a sad day for the state of Mississippi and for the thousands of Mississippians who can now be turned away from businesses, refused marriage licenses, or denied housing, essential services and needed care based on who they are.” On Tuesday, Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign compared Mississippi’s law to the anti-LGBT law recently passed in North Carolina.

Chad Griffin: “Mississippi needs only to look as far as North Carolina to see how damaging discrimination can be to a state’s reputation and to a state’s economy.”

This comes as PayPal has said it is abandoning plans to expand into North Carolina, following the recent passage of HB 2, known as the “bathroom bill,” which bars North Carolina cities and towns from passing laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people in public accommodations. PayPal’s president, Dan Schulman, said, “Becoming an employer in North Carolina, where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law, is simply untenable.”

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