NGLCC demands the Mississippi legislature repeal the state’s sweeping discrimination law and replace it with statewide non-discrimination policies as a moral and economic imperative for the citizens of Mississippi.
WASHINGTON, DC- The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the global LGBT community, continues to stand with our corporate partners and local business leaders in condemning the misguided anti-LGBT legislation signed into law by Governor Bryant. NGLCC demands the Mississippi legislature repeal this bill and replace it with sweeping non-discrimination policies as a moral and economic imperative for the citizens of Mississippi.
NGLCC calls upon its committed corporate partners to further divest in Mississippi, halt future expansions, and issue public statements affirming that such discrimination will irreparably damage Mississippi’s economy. This organization salutes the many corporate leaders, including Marriott’s Arne Sorenson & Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, who already demonstrated solidarity with the LGBT community by denouncing similar laws as destructive for business and for American social progress.
“Despite seeing the intense economic backlash that the business community is currently unleashing in North Carolina and the fact that Georgia’s Governor understood well the negative impact his state faced had he not vetoed a similar bill, the government of Mississippi has foolishly decided that hatred and discrimination is more valuable than the protection and dignity of its citizens,” reiterates NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson. “This law isn’t a protection from “government discrimination” as its name implies; it’s government sanctioned discrimination that will have lasting effects on the economic well-being of the state. Religion is being used for the most immoral purpose possible: the denigration of entire populations to second-class citizens based entirely on fear and propaganda. This is the most broadly discriminatory bill we’ve seen introduced, and should serve as a shocking reminder to anyone not yet convinced that the fight for equality in America continues long after marriage rights have been granted by the United States Supreme Court.”
Mississippi’s H.B. 1523 now allows religious convictions to be used to justify discrimination against LGBT people, as well single mothers, unwed couples, and those in dire medical conditions. Using tax-payer dollars, religious institutions are now legally protected should they decide to not recognize the legality of same-sex marriages; refuse to place children with qualified, deserving LGBT families; and deny housing and public services to anyone, even if the institution receives grants and subsidies from the government. The bill also sanctions the use of dangerous and medically disproven “conversion therapy” to “cure” LGBT people.
“NGLCC will never stop asserting pressure in partnership with our Fortune 500 allies and the estimated 1.4 million businesses in this nation that are owned by LGBT people to defeat any law that sanctions discrimination such as HB1532,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & CEO Chance Mitchell. “These shameful laws erode our vibrant and inclusive economy as they force LGBT citizens to look over their shoulder in fear, rather than ahead in hopes for a better future. We call on all legislators nationwide considering such heinous bills to remember that their economy succeeds only when there is a fully engaged and protected workforce and supply chain, free from fear and discrimination.”
