Let”s take a quick look at the current issues happening in the State of Mississippi.
It is one of the most obese states in the United States, which is one of the most obese countries in the world.
In 2014 it was ranked last on a national scale in K-12 student academics. Poverty remains a huge issue for the state, with 34 percent of Mississippi children living in poverty.
Jessica Gee
Argonaut
As if all these issues weren”t enough, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant decided to sign a law permitting discrimination toward the LGBT community.
The legislation is called “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” which aims to protect religious rights, but instead protects zealots who think their religion is above the law.
Of course religious freedom is important, but it should not allow employers to fire someone based solely on their sexual orientation.
The law is meant to protect individuals or organizations who have “the sincerely held religious belief or moral convictions” that marriage “should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”
This is meant to encourage people to sympathize with the restaurant owner who doesn”t want to serve a gay couple celebrating their wedding anniversary because their lifestyle is against his religion.
It is simply a hateful law that justifies discrimination against the LGBT community. It”s a step backward for Mississippi lawmakers in a country that has been working to establish LGBT rights.
But this isn”t the only state making anti-LGBT laws. North Carolina passed a law stating people must use the gender on their birth certificate when using public bathrooms.
There is already plenty of discrimination that transgender people have to go through. A transgender man should not be forced to use the women”s bathroom where they may experience violence or judgment.
These states have received backlash from the nation, with many states including Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington banning employee travel to North Carolina and Mississippi in response to the discriminatory legislation.
Bruce Springsteen even canceled his concert scheduled in North Carolina, saying “To my mind, it”s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters.”
Considering Mississippi is the most obese and most impoverished state in the nation, it appears this law has served as a brilliant distraction for Gov. Bryant. Mississippians will likely struggle with weight in the future and have trouble finding a job, but at least they can have the satisfaction of denying service to a gay man.
The law violates basic human rights for the LGBT community in pursuit of what Bryant claims is religious freedom. Religion should not allow an employer to fire someone based on their sexual orientation. It is also against Christian ideals to have sex before marriage, but employers shouldn”t be allowed to fire a pregnant single woman.
I hope citizens in Mississippi who are against this law know the nation has their back. Lawmakers have used this social division as a diversion from the overwhelming problems in the state.
There needs to be a balance of protecting religious freedom and civil rights. These laws passed in Mississippi and North Carolina are fighting progression and have proved to be an embarrassment to the nation.
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JessicaC_Gee