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Join HRC at the Rally to Repeal H.B. 1523 in Jackson, Mississippi
Join HRC at the Rally to Repeal HB 1523 this Sunday, May 1 in Jackson, Mississippi to urge state lawmakers to stand up against this discriminatory anti-LGBT law. HRC will march from the Mississippi Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion in order to send a clear and powerful message to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip A. Gunn that it fair-minded Mississippians support its repeal.
H.B. 1523 has opened up a broad loophole allowing almost any individual or organization to use broad justifications to discriminate against LGBTQ Mississippians at work, at school and in their communities. More than 75 major national corporations and businesses, thousands of fair-minded voters, entertainers and sports figures have joined HRC and the civil rights community in speaking out against the horrific measure.
Under this new law, almost any individual or organization could justify discrimination against LGBTQ people, single mothers, unwed couples, and others. Tax-payer funded faith-based organizations could: refuse to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples for provision of critical services including emergency shelter; deny children in need of loving homes placement with LGBTQ families including the child’s own family member; and refuse to sell or rent a for-profit home to an LGBTQ person — even if the organization receives government funding. It would also give foster families the freedom to subject an LGBTQ child to the dangerous practice of “conversion therapy,” and subject a pregnant unwed girl to abuse, without fear of government intervention or license suspension. It would even allow individuals to refuse to carry out the terms of a state contract for the provision of counseling services to all eligible individuals, including veterans, based on the counselor’s beliefs about LGBTQ people or single mothers.
Furthermore, schools, employers, and service providers could refuse transgender people access to appropriate sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity — all in direct conflict with the U.S. Department of Justice’s enforcement of federal law. HB 1523 even legalizes Kim Davis-style discrimination by allowing government employees to abdicate their duties and refuse to license or solemnize marriages for LGBTQ people. We hope you can join us this Sunday, May 1, at 3:30 CDT. We will march from the Mississippi Capitol at 400 High St. down three blocks on N Congress St to the Governor’s Mansion at 300 E Capitol St.
Can’t make the rally? Take action with HRC today. Send a message to lawmakers in Mississippi to repeal H.B. 1523 immediately. Don’t forget to also add “WeAreHRC” on Snapchat for live updates from the rally.
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