Gov. Phil Bryant

Attorneys for Gov. Phil Bryant filed arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday  defending a state law that lets government workers and private business people cite religious beliefs to deny services to LGBT people, according to the Associated Press.

They wrote that the law protects people from being penalized for refusing to participate in activities they consider “immoral,” such as same-sex marriage.

The law, known as HB 1523 and the “religious freedom” law, took effect last month. Multiple court challenges followed. The law protects three beliefs: marriage is only between a man and a woman, sex should only occur in such a marriage and a person’s gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered.


We want to hear from you!

Central to our mission at Mississippi Today is inspiring civic engagement. We think critically about how we can foster healthy dialogue between people who think differently about government and politics. We believe that conversation — raw, earnest talking and listening to better understand each other — is vital to the future of Mississippi. We encourage you to engage with us and each other on our social media accounts, email our reporters directly or leave a comment for our editor by clicking the button below.


Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.