Justice
Mississippi College Towns Are Leading the Fight for Gay Rights
Even as the state considers discriminatory legislation, places like Starkville and Oxford are passing "inclusivity resolutions."
Now that Arizona's governor has (finally) put that state's anti-gay legislation to rest, the focus in the fight for equality has shifted to Mississippi. There, in January, the state Senate unanimously passed a bill called the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" by its supporters and "gay Jim Crow" by LGBT advocates.
In its original form, the bill contained language similar to the controversial Arizona legislation, but went even further. Not only would it have allowed private businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers on the basis of religious belief, it would also let government department heads discriminate in hiring on the same grounds.