The political and news world has been in a state of uproar after the recent HB 1523 law that was passed in Mississippi. The passage of the law was quickly and heavily protested, calling it discriminatory. Much action was taken in objection of the law, including the Mississippi Society of Georgia cancelling its Atlanta’s Mississippi weekend, “which raises thousands for scholarships to send a Georgia student to a Mississippi college or university,” on account of the law. The society stated “The Mississippi Society of Georgia has been a diverse and inclusive organization since its inception in 2010. We do not discriminate, and we welcome all within the organization and to all of our events. The Society was founded to promote the cultural, academic, business, and economic development opportunities between Georgia and Mississippi.” Mississippi’s HB 1523 states that:
- Businesses, social workers and public employees cannot be punished for denying services based on the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman
- Or that “sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.” It also protects individuals who believe gender is determined at birth.
- “The government is also not allowed to prevent organizations from refusing to marry a same-sex couple,
- From firing an individual whose “conduct or religious beliefs are inconsistent with those of the religious organization” or;
- From blocking the adoption of a child because of religious beliefs.”
The tension is found in between those who believe these laws are a representation of religious freedom and those who believe these laws are unfair and discriminatory against the LGBT community. Many on the pro-LGBT side of this discussion see this as discriminatory, calling out those who believe the religious freedom aspect of this legislation like Rose Saxe of the American Civil Liberties Union saying “We are certainly seeing a number of explicitly religious bills this year, but we’re also seeing a broader range of anti-equality measures driven by many of the same faith organizations….” She continues, “These aren’t separate; they’re all still connected … They’re all coming from the same place of stopping equality.” Those on the religious freedom side of the argument believe that these laws are only protecting their liberties. Larry McAdoo, guest columnist at the Clarion-Ledger states “I do not mean making one man/one woman marriage the law of the land. It is not the law, thanks to this past summer’s Obergefell decision. But it is one thing to legalize same-sex marriage and quite another to stifle all dissent or conversation about the issue, quite another to use the force of government to discriminate against people who, in their hearts and minds, are convicted that marriage is a union of one man and one woman.” The vendetta then is those business owners that stand on the Religious freedom side should be allowed to practice their religion as they see fit without fear of government interference of constant threat of lawsuits.
Laws that protect those who are religious from participating and being able to say no to something that does not agree with their religion are almost non-existent. Many states laws require for there to be no discrimination on who they serve based on sex, marital status and disability, among other factors. While not discriminating against those basic things are important to keep in place, allowing business owners to have the discretion to be allowed to practice their religion as they see fit when it comes to the LGBT community is still legal on a wider spectrum. According to LegalZoom, “The federal law does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, so gays are not a protected group under the federal law. However, about 20 states…have enacted laws that prohibit discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation.”
Although illegal in some states, allowing a business owner to run their company as they see fit is generally still law of the land. A controversial case emerged last year over a bakery which refused to bake a lesbian couple a wedding cake because of their Christian faith. The couple who owned the bakery were then sued and was forced to pay a total of $135,000 for emotional suffering. Although the lesbian couple could have gone to multiple other bakeries to get their wedding cake completed, they continued to chase after the Christian bakery. With so many options available for LGBT people and couples to live their lives peacefully, those who harmlessly follow their religion in their businesses should be allowed to continue to do so.
In order to make sure that religious individuals are allowed to run their companies how they see fit without infringing on the rights of the LGBT community, laws should be enacted that allow for religious individuals who own businesses to be allowed to operate as they see fit. In today’s day and age, finding businesses and services that do not refuse service to the LGBT community is not terribly difficult. Allowing for religious and Christian-owned businesses to operate as wanted is not going to stop gay marriages from happening, or those who identify in the LGBT community from being allowed to go to places like restaurants and other public places. It simply allows for those who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman and/or believe in traditional values to run their business as they see fit, without being in danger of being sued or discriminated against for simply holding onto a core religious belief. The freedom of choice is a celebrated American right, and so allowing for religious businesses to choose to not serve same-sex couples should remain a choice, much like the choice for the LGBT community to get married and have a life of their own should not be infringed upon.
Take Action: Check out petitions to support religious liberty or support the repeal of the law here.
