"I am proud to sign the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act today, which will protect the individual religious freedom of Mississippians of all faiths from government interference. Mississippi has now joined 18 other states to defend religious freedoms on a state level."
—Gov. Phil Bryant on Senate Bill 2681, a controversial measure civil libertarians believe can lead to discrimination against LGBT people
Why it stinks: If Gov. Bryant was so proud of his signing the bill, he would have held a public signing ceremony and invited the news media. But instead of creating a space where reporters could have asked questions about the effects of the bill, Bryant opted for a private signing ceremony, surrounded by far-right religious leaders. While it was still snaking its way through the legislative process, it became apparent that the motivation of some of the bills backers was to refuse service to LGBT people. But Bryant and other conservatives shrugged off the criticism. Interestingly, among the people who attended the private ceremony, were the Republican sponsors, including Rep. Andy Gipson, who last year invoked a Bible passage implying gay people should be executed.
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