New York bans official state travel to Mississippi as it passes new anti-gay law

The governor of New York has issued a ban on travel to Mississippi, after the southern state passed a controversial law which permits businesses and organisations to refuse service to LGBT people.

The governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, posted on Twitter after signing House Bill 1523 into law saying it was to “protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions,” evoking the First Amendment of the US Constitution which guarantees religious freedom.

“The bill does not limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of any citizen of this state under federal or state laws,” he wrote.

I have signed House Bill 1523. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/00DbgQADFt

— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) April 5, 2016

However, critics say this bill – subtitled as the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act – now pits the law in favour of businesses and organisations who wish to discriminate against LGBT people, by denying them service.

Mark Joseph Stern of Slate.com explained that the bill, “allows religious landlords to evict gay and trans renters; permits religious employers to fire workers for being LGBTQ; allows adoption agencies – both private and state-run – to turn away same-sex couples; allows private businesses to refuse services to gay people; allows clerks and judges to refuse to marry same-sex couples; and forbids trans students from using public school bathrooms that align with their gender identity.”

Mississippi is also feeling the heat nationally, as New York governor Andrew Cuomo issued a travel ban to the state just hours later.

ANDREW CUOMO

The ban “requires all New York State agencies, departments, boards and commissions to… bar any such publicly funded travel that is not essential to the enforcement of state law or public health and safety.”

It adds that while the state of New York “is a national leader in protecting the civil rights and liberties of all its citizens,” Mississippi now “permits and enshrines discrimination against LGBT citizens.”

This has been a consistent issue in certain U.S. states of late, and particularly since the nationwide legalisation of same sex marriage. There have been multiple cases of people refusing to provide products and services for same sex weddings, and to LGBT people in general.

JACKSON MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi is the poorest U.S. state, and suffers with high levels of unemployment, obesity and illiteracy. Its location on the bible belt means many of its citizens are opposed to LGBT equality, and this law has undeniably serviced that mandate.

There are fears that similar laws could be rolled out in other states like North Carolina, and Georgia. Yesterday, current Attitude cover star Michael Sam criticised proposals for the introduction of this legislation in his home state of Missouri, saying it was designed, “to undermine the dignity of LGBT people and their families.”

In This Article: