Mississippi passes sweeping religious freedom law
(The Christian Science Monitor) Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed a controversial bill into law on Tuesday that allows businesses to refuse service to LGBT individuals based on religious convictions, the latest episode in the ongoing tug-of-war between conservative legislatures and the LGBT community.
Civil rights activists have condemned the bill saying that it sanctions discrimination based on to sexual orientation, but Governor Bryant defended it on the basis of religious freedom.
"This bill merely reinforces the rights which currently exist to the exercise of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," Bryant wrote in a Twitter statement.
