THEGAYUK

Tag: Mississippi News

Get the latest LGBT+ Mississippi News from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Mississippi.

  • Here are the US states with the most anti-LGBT+ laws…

    Here are the US states with the most anti-LGBT+ laws…

    t’s important to note that attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community can vary widely within individual states, and it’s not accurate to label an entire state as “anti-LGBTQ+.” However, some states have passed laws or have political climates that are perceived as being less supportive of LGBTQ+ rights.

    That being said, there is no definitive list of the “most anti-LGBTQ+” states in the US. However, some states have been criticized for passing laws or taking actions that are perceived as discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in recent years, some states have passed laws that allow businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ+ individuals on the basis of religious objections, or have attempted to restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender individuals.

    Some states that have been criticized for passing laws or taking actions that are perceived as discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ community include:

    • Texas 49 bills
    • Oklahoma 35 bills
    • Missouri 34 bills
    • Iowa 29 bills
    • Tennessee 26 bills
    • Mississippi 24 bills
    • Indiana 18 bills
    • South Dakota 18 bills
    • North Dakota 17 bills
    • Kansas 12 bills

    It’s worth noting that attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community can change over time, and some states that were once perceived as less supportive of LGBTQ+ rights have since passed more inclusive laws or become more accepting. Additionally, there are many individuals and organizations within these states that actively work to promote LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.

  • Doctors in Mississippi will be able to deny LGBT patients, lawfully

    Doctors in Mississippi will be able to deny LGBT patients, lawfully

    American’s most sweeping anti-LGBT law is heading to Federal court in Mississippi this week.

    A law that will allow Mississippi officials and service providers such as doctors to deny services to LGBT people on the basis of “sincerely held” religious beliefs is heading into federal court in Mississippi for a series of hearings before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves.

    The law HB1523 is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2016.

    On Monday, June 20 at 9:30 a.m. Judge Reeves will hold oral arguments on whether to reopen Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant to address a provision of HB 1523 that allows public officials to recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

    Mississippi is home to over 60,000 LGBT adults and an estimated 11,400 Transgender youth and adults, according to 2016 data published by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

    The state is also home to 3,500 same-sex couples, 29 percent of whom are raising children.

    Lead counsel Roberta Kaplan says,

    “In 1776, the founders of our nation declared that ‘all men are created equal’ and that they are ‘endowed’ with ‘certain unalienable rights,’ including ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’

    “Almost 240 years later, on July 1 of this year, the State of Mississippi intends to implement a law that could hardly be more inconsistent with these principles,

    “That law, HB 1523, declares that Mississippians who hold certain religious beliefs–namely, that gay people should not be permitted to marry (among others)–should have special rights and privileges, including the right to discriminate against and undermine the dignity of LGBT citizens.

    “Given this obvious contradiction between HB 1523 and the core principles that our country has long stood for, we are confident that HB 1523 will not survive review by a federal court.”

     

  • Bryan Adams Cancels Show Over Anti-LGBT Laws

    Bryan Adams Cancels Show Over Anti-LGBT Laws

    Bryan Adams has become the latest star to pull out of an event because of a State’s anti-LGBT laws.

    Bryan Adams
    CREDIT: S Buckley / BigStock

    International rock star Bryan Adams has pulled out of a concert in Mississippi because of the State’s anti-LGBT law.

    The law which is similar to those now enforced in North Carolina, which caused Paypal to pull out of a $3.6 million investment and Bruce Springsteen to cancel his appearance at the Greensboro Coliseum.

    The cancelled show was due to take place on Thursday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

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    The Canadian singer said couldn’t “in good conscience” perform where “certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation”.

    The “Religious Liberty” bill 1523, which will come into affect on the 1st July will allow some private businesses and religious groups to refuse services to LGBT people in accordance with their religious beliefs.

    It is the first of it’s kind law which will allow the discrimination of anyone, including single mothers and gay couples, who to offend someone’s “sincerely held religious belief.”

    Users of social media have now made calls for other stars,including Dolly Parton, to join Bruce Springsteen in standing up for LGBT rights in North Carolina.

    https://twitter.com/TheCamrynStone/status/719193458464808960

  • Shocking video of reactions to gay PDAs

    A new video has emerged showing what some straight patrons at a restaurant in Mississippi, US, do and say when a gay couple start to show affection to each other.

    A gay couple were hired by ABC News in Mississippi to show public displays of affection in a restaurant and then filmed the resulting reactions from other patrons.

    The short film shows the couple being told that they were sinning, they received awkward looks, some patrons said that they would physically move away and the two were laughed at when they kissed.

    Just to prove that the discomfort caused by the PDAs weren’t solely because of the actors’ sexuality, ABC also tried the experiment with an opposite sex couple.

    Customers reacted entirely differently and some even stuck up for the heterosexual couple, when ABC’s stooge tried to make a scene about the straight PDA.

    The best bit is for last though, as two college students stand up for the couple, saying to ABC’s stooge, when she made a scene about the gay PDA,

    ‘There’s a reason why half the &^%$^%$ world hates America, and it’s people like you. Because you have no acceptance for anything else in the world. I’m so *&^%$ pissed right now.’

    In Mississippi, same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 2003, but the state does not permit same-sex marriage, adoption by a same-sex couple, and the laws do not positively address discrimination based on gender identity or sexuality.

    In a 2001 Public Policy Polling survey found that only 13% of Mississippi voters supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage, while 78% were opposed and 9% were not sure.