Stars like Bruce Springsteen, Melissa McCarthy, Ellen DeGeneres, and Billy Ray Cyrus have all spoken out against anti-LGBT laws. (Photos: Getty Images)
Both Mississippi and North Carolina are facing heavy criticism over new laws in each state which restrict the rights of their LGBT populations.
North Carolina’s HB 2, colloquially referred to as the “bathroom bill,” legally requires citizens to use the gendered public restroom which matches the sex listed on his or her birth certificate. The law, supposedly written to prevent potential sexual predators from using restrooms as their hunting grounds, specifically targets transgender people, who prefer to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity.
In Mississippi, HB 1523, recently signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant, shields persons who refuse to provide services to LGBT people because of a religious opposition from punishment. It is state-sponsored discrimination.
LGBT celebrities were quick to criticize the laws. Former *N Syncer Lance Bass condemned Mississippi’s bill before it was even signed into law. “I’m disappointed in my home state of Mississippi for allowing this awful piece of legislation to hit the Senate floor. This is nothing more than religious homophobia as legislation,” Bass said in a statement. “Earlier this year, Mississippi lost Mercedes Williams, a 17-year-old trans girl murdered because she was trans. What is Mississippi’s Senate doing to protect the trans community? Instead of serving all of their constituents, Mississippi is prioritizing the sensitivities of the religious ‘wrong’ over the lives of LGBT people. I know Mississippi’s community is better than this. It is imperative that Governor Phil Bryant vetoes this bill immediately.”
Both Mississippi and North Carolina are facing heavy criticism over new laws in each state which restrict the rights of their LGBT populations.
North Carolina’s HB 2, colloquially referred to as the “bathroom bill,” legally requires citizens to use the gendered public restroom which matches the sex listed on his or her birth certificate. The law, supposedly written to prevent potential sexual predators from using restrooms as their hunting grounds, specifically targets transgender people, who prefer to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity.
In Mississippi, HB 1523, recently signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant, shields persons who refuse to provide services to LGBT people because of a religious opposition from punishment. It is state-sponsored discrimination.
LGBT celebrities were quick to criticize the laws. Former *N Syncer Lance Bass condemned Mississippi’s bill before it was even signed into law. “I’m disappointed in my home state of Mississippi for allowing this awful piece of legislation to hit the Senate floor. This is nothing more than religious homophobia as legislation,” Bass said in a statement. “Earlier this year, Mississippi lost Mercedes Williams, a 17-year-old trans girl murdered because she was trans. What is Mississippi’s Senate doing to protect the trans community? Instead of serving all of their constituents, Mississippi is prioritizing the sensitivities of the religious ‘wrong’ over the lives of LGBT people. I know Mississippi’s community is better than this. It is imperative that Governor Phil Bryant vetoes this bill immediately.”
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