The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit over a Mississippi law it says allows public officials and businesses to refuse to serve LGBT individuals on the basis of religious beliefs.
The ACLU argues the law, HB 1523, violates the 14th Amendment by “creating a separate and unequal set of laws applying only to the marriages of same-sex couples.”
The plaintiffs are Nykolas Alford and Stephen Thomas, an engaged gay couple in Mississippi who claim they will be discriminated against as a result of the legislation, which goes into effect in July.
In the complaint brought in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi, the ACLU is asking for an injunction to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1.
“On its face, HB 1523 violates the 14th Amendment by subjecting the lawful marriages of same-sex couples to different terms and conditions than those accorded to different-sex couples. By creating a separate and unequal set of laws applying only to the marriages of same-sex couples, HB 1523 imposes a disadvantage, a separate status, and so a stigma upon all married same-sex couples in Mississippi,” the complaint says.
Mississippi’s House and Senate passed the legislation in March. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant says the law does not discriminate against LGBT people and protects people of faith.
“The ACLU stands firmly against discrimination in all forms,” ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins said in a statement Monday. “All citizens deserve the right to be treated equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
