SPLC: Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryants Signage of HB 1523 Unconscionable; Same Rationale Used to Justify Slavery, Jim Crow

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - April 5, 2016 – The following statement regarding the passage of Mississippi bill HB 1523, the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” into law by Gov. Phil Bryant is by Jody E. Owens, managing attorney in Mississippi at the Southern Poverty Law Center:

"Gov. Phil Bryant's decision to sign HB 1523 into law is unconscionable. This newly enacted law – like the draconian anti-LGBT laws in other states – uses the guise of ‘religious freedom’ to justify discrimination, mistreatment and bigotry. It’s the same sort of rationale used by white supremacists in earlier eras to justify slavery and Jim Crow. The estimated 60,000 LGBT people in Mississippi deserve better. We need to stand up for the rights of all people."


The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. For more information, see www.splcenter.org.

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