LGBT Workers Ruling in High Court Could Renew Fight Against HB 1523
LGBT Mississippians could have more to lose or gain than most as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on whether or not employers have the right to fire people based on their sexuality and gender identity, because the Hospitality State holds the distinction for the most anti-LGBT law in the nation
The Thin Line Between LGBT and Racist Hate
Echoes of Mississippi's discriminatory history continue to make themselves heard, sometimes in the form of so-called "religious liberty" laws that give businesses and organization wide berth to invoke their religion to justify discriminating against LGBT people.
AG Candidates Praise 'Heartbeat Bill,' Anti-LGBT Laws, Tort Reform
About 50 people showed up at a venue that would seat 1,200 on Wednesday night to hear Republican candidates explain why voters should elect them as Mississippi's next attorney general—the state's chief legal officer who holds the power to bring or defend against lawsuits on behalf of the state.
'Brazen Disregard for Trans Health': Trump Ends Protections
Transgender Americans will no longer be protected from health-care discrimination after the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era health-care policy on Friday.
GOP Rep: Mississippi Needs Hate Crimes Law for LGBT, Disabled People
A Mississippi Republican is calling on her colleagues to support an update to the state's hate-crime laws in the wake of two recent attacks that she believes anti-gay prejudice may have motivated.
Hood Takes Heat for Blackface Photos, Says Leave Trans Rights Up to Schools
A Hattiesburg woman confronted Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood on Tuesday over yearbook photos from the 1980s that show members of his college fraternity wearing blackface.
AG Candidate Vows to Defend State Funding for Anti-LGBT Adoption Agencies
If Mississippians make state Rep. Mark Baker their next attorney general, he vows to fight so that religiously affiliated adoption agencies that accept state funds can continue to legally discriminate against LGBT families.
Mississippi Reps Vote 'Nay' on Violence Against Women Act
All three Republicans in Mississippi's Congressional delegation voted against renewing the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday.
LGBT Equality Report: Jackson and Hattiesburg Lead Mississippi
Jackson and Hattiesburg lead among Mississippi's nine largest cities in LGBT equality, the Human Rights Campaign says in a new report.
Gov. Bryant: Transgender People Do Not Deserve Hiring Protections
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant joined 15 other Republican leaders across the country in signing a brief that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not protect transgender people and that employers have the right to fire them for their gender identity.
Improved LGBT Health Access in the South Goal of New Survey
The Campaign for Southern Equality launched a survey on Wednesday, Aug. 22, that aims to help improve health-care access for LGBT southerners.
Report: LGBT Men Need Quality Sexual Health Standards in Jackson, Beyond
LGBT men have limited access to quality sexual health care, a new report finds. In the capital city, it is an especially serious problem: The Jackson metro has the fourth-highest rate of HIV diagnosis per 100,000 residents among the nation's metropolitan areas, with about 40 percent of LGBT men infected with HIV here in 2014.
LGBTQ-Affirming Churches Should Be Celebrated, Not Demonized
"There is no inside or outside, but one community in which we are all sisters and brothers."
Mississippi Republicans Vote Against LGBT Civil Rights Bill
U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, a Republican who represents Mississippi's 4th District, hearkened back to some familiar hyperbole on Friday as he blasted the Democratic-controlled Congress for passing the Equality Act.
The Fight for Family Goes On
After the Obergefell decision, Mississippi’s leaders "made sure to let us know we are still beneath the religious elite," Rev. Brandiilyne Mangum-Dear said. "We may have acquired marriage that day (in 2015), but we certainly didn't get equality."
HB 1523 Becomes Law Tuesday, Oct. 10, After 5th Circuit Denied Stay
The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" will become state law on Tuesday, Oct. 10, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied attorneys' request to prevent the law from taking effect while they petition the U.S. Supreme Court.
Pride Month Is Over, But the Fight Isn’t
It is interesting that the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which lifted the injunction blocking HB 1523, did so in June during the last week of Pride month.
Still Fighting at Home: Transgender Veterans Caught in the Flux
Some top-down changes coming soon to the VA could help alleviate inadvertent or purposeful discrimination against LGBT veterans. Due to a recent change, all VA medical centers now have the ability for the first time to change a part of a veteran's medical record digitally.
Pride and Prejudice: A Life-Long Battle from Civil Rights to LGBT Rights
It was 1962 in Jackson, and Dee Smathers lived in an apartment on State Street with her first college roommate turned lover. Dee's family was living out of the state, so she did not worry about their judgment. Her partner, on the other hand, was living a secret life.
Mississippi Pride
It saddens me that so much hate has taken root in the state where I grew up, but I am also proud to have overcome it. I am proud of the brave LGBT people and allies in Mississippi who are standing up against it.
Still Separate After Orlando Massacre
Where is our compassion, when because it happened at an LGBT nightclub and not a Presbyterian church, we choose whether to help or not? The idea is that although I am me and you are you, we share in each other's pain and glory as a people.
To Fetch a Pail of Water
This summer marks 25 years since I came out of the closet. Today, coming out happens so often in the world of the Hollywood A-listers, athletes, journalists and elected officials that it hardly makes news. Harvey Milk said we must come out and, while not everyone can right now, plenty visible folks are twirling out of the closet, wire hangers and all.
Of Love and Orlando
The day before a gunman massacred 49 mostly Latino men and women at the gay club, Pulse, in Orlando, I was wandering through the Brooklyn Pride festival in New York City. It was right around the corner from my rented apartment in Park Slope where I stayed to do more crime-solutions reporting.
The American Dream?
It is silly to walk around this planet consumed with the idea that you are the only one who matters, but it is equally foolish not to think about your own needs and desires.
In Tough Times, Be Grateful
A few things have made me realize that it's important to give thanks every day—not just one day of the year.
Politicizing Tragedy
The nation woke up Sunday to a horrific shock—the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history—that at least for now appears to be part terror, part hate crime.
Local LGBT Vigil In Orlando's Wake: 'We Shouldn't Have to Be Afraid'
A chorus of more than 100 voices rose outside JC's, one of Jackson's longest-standing gay bars, Sunday night in vigil for victims in the Orlando mass shooting that left 49 people dead early Sunday morning, when a man entered a gay club in Orlando with an assault rifle and started shooting.
Trans Children in the Balance in Mississippi
On Tuesday, May 24, the nine-member Mississippi Board of Education decided unanimously to disregard the federal government's Title IX guidelines to protect transgender students from discrimination just days after the state superintendent had said the state would follow t hem.
Governor Will Join Multi-State Transgender Bathroom Lawsuit Even If State Won't
Attorney General Jim Hood said he will not add the State of Mississippi to the Texas lawsuit against the federal government over President Barack Obama's directive to public schools, telling them to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender identities.
AG Hood: Mississippi Will Not Join Transgender Bathrooms Lawsuit
Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement today regarding the lawsuit by Texas and 10 other states.
Lawmakers: Stop Using Transgender Citizens as Political Pawns
In a state where lawmakers couldn't make domestic violence grounds for divorce, the same group of legislators claim that the protection of girls and women informs their decision to demand the state superintendent of education to resign from her job for "risking the safety" of girls in classrooms.
Katherine Day
Katherine Day came home to Jackson on a train last fall; it had been six years since she had last lived in the city. Day grew up in Jackson, but when she was 24 years old, she made a break for it and left in 2006.
Resisting the Tide: Trans Mississippians Speak Out
Title IX is usually associated with sex-based equity in athletics, but advocates say it actually applies much more broadly.
Mississippi GOP Reps: Superintendent Should Oppose Transgender Rules or Step Down
A group of Mississippi House Republicans emailed a letter today directly to state Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright, asking her to step down unless the Mississippi Department of Education swiftly reverses its decision to follow the president’s guidelines on protecting transgender students’ rights.
UPDATED: Obama Tells Schools How to Protect Transgender Students' Civil Rights
Today the Obama administration issued a directive offering "significant guidance" to school districts on curbing sex-based discrimination in schools, specifically against students who do not identify with the gender commonly linked to their biological sex.
GOP's Social, Fiscal Conservatives at Odds Over Gay Rights
Republican lawmakers upset about the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage have advanced measures in about a dozen states this year that could strengthen protections for those who refuse on religious grounds to provide services to same-sex couples.
Judge Blocks Mississippi Ban on Adoption by Same-Sex Couples
A federal judge has overturned Mississippi's ban on allowing same-sex couples to adopt.
Mississippi Clerks Issuing Same-Sex Licenses with AG Hood's Approval
Some Mississippi county clerks started issuing marriage licenses to all couples on Monday morning, after Attorney General Jim Hood wrote them promising no "adverse action" in response this morning.
Elation, Vows for State’s Same-Sex Couples
The party room in Julep restaurant in northeast Jackson was filled with relief Monday night as a group of about 30 people, new and old friends, gathered to celebrate four same-sex couples who were finally issued marriage licenses that morning.
What’s It Like Living LGBT in Mississippi?
When I say that some LGBT Mississippians are afraid to come out of the closet and live authentic lives, it's not theoretical or an intellectual decision—they are genuinely afraid for their lives and livelihoods.
Mississippi's Marriage Equality Fight is Over—Or is it?
"It's over." That was the message from Roberta Kaplan, the attorney who represented lesbian couples in a case to strike down Mississippi's same-sex marriage ban, to an Associated Press reporter on Wednesday evening.
‘Not No, But Hell No’: Fighting for Same-Sex Adoption
Roberta Kaplan is challenging the provision in Mississippi adoption law that states, "Adoption by couples of the same gender is prohibited."
State Should End Costly, Embarrassing Legal Challenges
Last week, the state—via the Democratic-led Mississippi attorney general's office—again stood on the wrong side of a federal judge in an individual-rights case.
Jackson: An LGBT Sanctuary?
Chokwe Lumumba, the late mayor of Jackson, once described Jackson as a new justice frontier, one that acknowledges that the city's diversity is its strength.
HRC Campaign Seeks to Bridge Faith and LGBT Advancement
The Human Rights Campaign has started an initiative to advance public education and engagement of LGBT issues through advertisements, door-to-door efforts, and communication through mail and phone calls.
Transgender Man Sues Tower Loan
On April 13, 2015, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Altshuler Berzon LLP, and Delaney & Robb filed suit against Tower Loan for discrimination on behalf of Tristan Broussard.
Mississippi Locals Celebrate SCOTUS Decision but Wait for Marriage Licenses
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in a 5-4 ruling on Friday. In Mississippi, small celebrations broke out on the steps of Hinds County Courthouse, as other couples went to the basement to try to get their marriage licenses.
I Don’t Feel Welcome in Mississippi
Having lived in Mississippi my whole life, a lot of things have been not cool. Add being gay to that, and you have the formula for a whole bunch of uncoolness.
Anti-Gay Push Setback in Miss., Ariz.
A House subcommittee may take the wind out of the sails of a so-called religious-freedom proposal that civil-liberties groups feared would lead to legalized discrimination.
Supreme Court Rules: Same-Sex Marriage Legal Nationwide
The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States.
Building LGBT Teen, Business Alliances
When a Magnolia Junior High School teacher conducted a math exercise by dividing the classroom into two teams based on gender, Destin Holmes was forced to sit in the middle of the room. This, according to the teacher, was because the teenage girl was "an in-between it."
‘Justice, Justice, Thou Shalt Pursue’: The JFP Interview with Roberta Kaplan
Like many LGBTQ couples, New York attorney Roberta Kaplan and her wife, Rachel Lavine, have enjoyed federal marriage rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal restrictions against same-sex marriage in 2013.
Outside of Celebrity
In 2007, Kevin Sessums' "Mississippi Sissy" (St. Martin's Press, $24.95) became a best seller. The book opened our eyes to the life of a boy touched by tragedy, feeling like an outsider in an ultra-conservative southern state, and his molestation at the hands of a trusted minister.
Excerpts from Judge Carlton Reeves’ Ruling
Even an abbreviated history shows that millions of Americans were once deemed ineligible for full Fourteenth Amendment protection.
Rhetoric Muddles Effects of 'Anti-Gay' 'Religious Rights' Bill
Does Senate Bill 2681, which the Mississippi Legislature approved, protect religious freedoms or open the door to legal discrimination?
Running the Marriage-Equality Gauntlet
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' hearing on same-sex marriage included three cases from three different states—Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Looking Way, Way Into Gay Marriage's Future in Mississippi
Predictably, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves—as most federal judges appointed by Presidents Clinton and Obama did before him—last night ruled that same-sex couples in Mississippi should be allowed to marry.
Casinos, LGBTs Still Allied in Face of SB 2681
To say that Mississippi, where citizens passed a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage in 2004, has been slow to cash in on the economic potential of embracing LGBT people and their money would be an understatement.
‘Personhood’ May Be Back
The anti-abortion organization Personhood Mississippi filed paperwork for Initiative 41 on March 5, 2013. If supporters gather 107,216 signatures by May 14, 2014, the bill will appear on the ballot in November 2015.
A Legal Marriage Under Attack
Nick and Jessica Fulgham, who married Sept. 18, received a wave of public backlash when American Family Radio, an anti-gay organization based in Tupelo, broadcast news of their marriage after it happened.
Nowhere to Go: LGBT Youth on the Move, Without a Home
A 2015 Williams Institute survey of homeless-youth service providers found that the most widely selected reason for homelessness among LGBT youth (as reported to service providers) was "forced out of their homes or running away from home because of their sexual orientation."
History Repeats Itself in Mississippi After Marriage Decision
While it may not be the only sign of bigotry, discrimination is a clear, 10-million-watt, Vegas-strip, see-it-from-space sign of bigotry for anyone except for the willfully blind.
Controversial ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Moves Forward
After a week of ups and downs for a measure that civil-liberties groups say could lead to legalized discrimination of LGBTQ people, a modified version now goes to the House of Representatives for debate.
Inside the AFA: How One ‘Hate Group’ Is Fighting the ‘Gay Agenda’
At the American Family Association headquarters in Tupelo, Miss., a staff of about 130 produces radio programs and other media to promote its Christian ideology.
Lance Bass on God, Being Gay and Loving His Sweet Mama
Two years after I graduated from high school in 2004, Lance Bass came out of the closet on the cover of People Magazine. His revelation struck a chord for me not just because he was a celebrity, as one-fifth of the world-famous pop group 'N Sync, but because he was from Clinton, Miss. As far as I knew growing up, there were no gay people in Clinton.
Marriage Equality and Beyond for LGBTs
Failure to protect LGBT people extends beyond shutting off the marriage, and a sobering new report sheds light on the economic and social effects of denying lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people equal protection under the law.
As SB2681 Passes, A Gay Mississippi Businessman Talks Back to the Far Right
"I don't have to look back very far in my lived experience to recall a time when I was afraid to live openly. I once thought the very best I could hope for was to get a job, fall in love, and keep that part of my life hidden from family and clients."
Magnolia, Miss., Passes Pro-LGBT Resolution; 4th in State to Support Gay Residents
Magnolia, Miss., passed a resolution 3-2 recognizing the dignity and worth of all city residents - including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).
Tigers of a Different Stripe
Each of us, regardless of age, matters in the quest to end hatred.
Jackson Passes Pro-LGBT Resolution
Mississippi's largest city and state capital finally passed a resolution affirming equality for all citizens, including the LGBT community.
And LGBTQ Rights March On: The Who, What, How in Mississippi
Although there is growing support for equal rights in both Jackson and the state, legislation like SB 2681 has the potential to encourage and legalize discrimination, harking back to Jim Crow legislation.
Discrimination Isn’t ‘Religious Freedom’
You do not have religious freedom if every single American doesn't have it, too, including those you believe are heathens and sinners.
Judge Promises Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Quickly
While a federal district judge in Mississippi may rule same-sex marriage is a constitutional right as soon as this week, the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state is in the hands of the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals and, ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court.
Straight, LGBT Teens Fight to Support Each Other
Presley McCord, who is a board member of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Brandon High School, said she hopes the group helps to make a difference and improve the high school experience for LGBT students.
Mississippi Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Divorce is Legal
The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled Lauren Czekala-Chatham's divorce legal in concurrence with the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
HRC Targets LGBT African Americans in 'Freedom Summer' Conference
The fight for freedom of both African Americans and LGBT people, and those who are both, is the focus of the Human Rights Campaign's Freedom Summer Conference this week.
Mississippi's LGBT Community Awaits Supreme Court Decision
The Mississippi LGBT community is anxiously awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could federally legalize same-sex marriage, which would make it legal in the state.
Campaigns Put Mississippi on LGBT-Rights Front Line
Next week, the Human Rights Campaign kicks off its latest endeavor, Project One America, in Jackson. The Mississippi stop is one of three HRC will make during a tour that also goes through Alabama and Arkansas.
With Open Arms
With the fight for LGBT equality and a lack of Medicaid expansion at the forefront of the Mississippi politics, Open Arms Healthcare Center could not have been created at a better time.
LGBTers Rally in Jackson to Demand Respect
Advocates have injected new energy into the push for LGBT rights with a flurry of recent activity in Jackson and throughout Mississippi. This afternoon, several organizations from around the state rallied in Jackson's Smith Park to urge policymakers to affirm the human rights of LGBT people.
SCOTUS Ruled on Marriage—Not Discrimination
While the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling was monumental in American legal history and a cause for celebration by LGBT citizens, the reality is that the court ruled on same-sex marriage and nothing more, legal experts say.
A Long, Long LGBT Road
Cameron Stewart and Amber Cameron have been together five and a half years. About a year ago, the couple had a backyard wedding ceremony with vows and commitments—but because they live in Mississippi they could not get a license.
