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Posted by JayZeeBMT on Thu Apr 3 18:42:53 2014 Mississippi Gov. Bryant Signs 'Turn away The Gays' Bill Into LawBy Nathan James Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R-Brandon) signed the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" into law Thursday afternoon, making his state the first in the nation where people and businesses can refuse goods or services to anyone, based on a "strongly held religious belief". The bill, which was passed Tuesday by the GOP-dominated Legislature, is widely understood to be aimed at the state's LGBT community, and is the most far-reaching legislation of its type in the United states. Beyond merely legalizing discrimination, the new law grants people the ability to "defy any state laws, rules, regulations, and municipal and county ordinances", so long as such defiance was based on the "exercise of religious beliefs". Although supporters of the law claim the measure "only mirrors a federal law passed during the Clinton Administration", legal experts note that nothing in the federal religious-freedom statute allows or encourages discrimination. "This is a return to the Jim Crow era," said LGBT legal analyst Sheldon Green. "This law says it's OK to not only refuse service to a gay person, a black person, a woman, what have you, but allows them to flout the law and claim religious exemptions. I cannot imagine anything more dangerous." Governor Bryant, who took an active role in crafting the legislation, said "Today, I am proud to sign this bill, which will protect the religious liberty of all Mississippians." Advocates of the law, such as the anti-LGBT Family Research Center's Tony Perkins, clearly stated its intent before a crowd of fellow supporters in Jackson, the state capital. "Whether it’s someone like Pastor Telsa DeBerry who was hindered by the Holly Springs city government from building a new church in the downtown area, or a wedding vendor, whose orthodox Christian faith will not allow her to affirm same-sex ‘marriage,’ the provisions of RFRA would apply to prevent the government from discriminating against religious exercise," Perkins stated. ”The Founders never envisioned a government forcing Americans to choose between the basic teachings of their faith and losing their livelihood.” Legal scholars said the law was a "direct attempt to bypass earlier legislation, such as the Johnson-era Civil Rights Act" which ended segregation in Southern states during the late 1960s. "Now, when it will most likely be both seen and used as a shield against enforcement of civil rights laws (current and future), enacting it seems like a uniquely poor idea," wrote Jonathan Kendall, a former judge, to the state legislature. "This is an enormous step backward in American life and law," said Kevin Quigley of the LGBT Legal Rights Project. "If I were gay or lesbian and living in Mississippi, I'd be packing my bags right now." Mississippi is the first of over a dozen states with similar "Turn Away The Gays" bills pending before lawmakers, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kansas. Nearly all of them have been introduced by Tea Party factions within the GOP. Mississippi's law takes effect on July 1. |
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