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Mississippi Governor Signs Sweeping 'Religious Freedom' Bill Into Law

NPR
Published April 6, 2016 at 12:50 PM EDT
Protesters call for Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to veto House Bill 1523, which they says will allow discrimination against LGBT people, during a rally outside the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Miss., on Monday. The governor signed the bill into law yesterday. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)
Protesters call for Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to veto House Bill 1523, which they says will allow discrimination against LGBT people, during a rally outside the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Miss., on Monday. The governor signed the bill into law yesterday. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

Mississippi now has one of the broadest “religious freedom” laws in the country. But critics call it the most sweeping anti-LGBT law in the country.

Governor Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523 yesterday, creating a religious shield from government penalties for an array of people and organizations — if providing those services violates religious beliefs about same-sex marriage, sex outside marriage and gender identity.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks to Dominic Holden, national LGBT reporter for BuzzFeed, about why this kind of legislation is gaining such traction in state legislatures around the country.

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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