re: Mississippi gov. signs law allowing service denial to gays

Text of 1523 as signed by Gov.

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(b) Makes any employment-related decision including, but not limited to, the decision whether or not to hire, terminate or discipline an individual whose conduct or religious beliefs are inconsistent with those of the religious organization, based upon or in a manner consistent with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction described in Section 2 of this act; or

(c) Makes any decision concerning the sale, rental, occupancy of, or terms and conditions of occupying a dwelling or other housing under its control, based upon or in a manner consistent with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction described in Section 2 of this act.

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So you can fire or evict someone for being gay now. This terrible fricking law will be shot down in about five minutes, and more than likely they will make sexual orientation a protected class, just like sex or age.

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You left out this in your citation of 3. (b), (c):

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SECTION 3. (1) The state government shall not take any discriminatory action against a religious organization wholly or partially on the basis that such organization:

(a) Solemnizes or declines to solemnize any marriage, or provides or declines to provide services, accommodations, facilities, goods or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, formation, celebration or recognition of any marriage, based upon or in a manner consistent with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction described in Section 2 of this act;

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The Section 3. (1)(a) states the purpose of the legislation is to protect a religious organization from government infringement of religious freedom.

The bill narrowly delineates the nature and terms of the specific protected religious belief in Section 2.:

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SECTION 2. The sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions protected by this act are the belief or conviction that:

(a) Marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman;

(b) Sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage; and

(c) Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual's immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.

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Reading more of the act it seems it protects private persons principally from government coercion in the arena of providing services related to same-sex marriage and Medical providers who decline to participate in services related to gender change or reassignment.

Like others have commented, the protections extended to government employees have some ambiguities. It does however compel a government employee to pre-certify or pre-register their decision to recuse themselves from participation in same-sex marriages. And they are required to do all that is possible to see that a marriage can happen. Not sure what that means and how that will be worked out.

Your citations and the concerns raised respecting hiring, firing, rental and so forth should be understood in the context of a religious organization's response to a request to support a same-sex marriage not as a blanket protection and endorsement of homophobia.