FAGAN: A Court Upholds A Mississippi Law Protecting Religious Freedom

A federal appeals court Thursday reversed an earlier ruling meaning Mississippi can now start enforcing a law that will let business owners and government employees cite religious beliefs to deny services to same-sex couples.

The ruling represents a departure from previous court rulings in several different states allowing LGBT activists to shut down businesses for refusing to do things like bake a cake or serve as a photographer for gay weddings. Several businesses across the country have been forced to close because they refused to condone or be a part of gay weddings. The Mississippi ruling is designed to prevent that.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant and other supporters say the law protects beliefs that marriage can be between only a man and a woman, and that a person’s gender is determined at birth and cannot be changed.

Gay and straight plaintiffs who sued the state say the law gives “special protections to one side” in a religious debate.

But there are several examples of gay activists using the courts to force people of faith to condone homosexuality. In Missouri, a counselor was fired after refusing to counsel same sex couples. In Iowa, bistro owners that offered wedding services were forced to close because of heavy fines after refusing to offer to perform a wedding for a gay couple. In New Jersey a religious retreat center had to stop offering wedding services all together after a gay couple sued and the owners of a Christian farm in upstate New York recently were fined $10,000 for not allowing a lesbian couple to use their property for a wedding.

The gay mafia is relentless and insatiable in pushing its values on people of faith. Mississippi is sure to suffer backlash for its law protecting religious freedom. You’ll remember the city of Charlotte lost the NBA All Star game because of a state law that had the temerity to prevent men from going into woman’s bathrooms.

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Thursday’s ruling says the plaintiffs did not provide examples of injury-in-fact, which means they could not show how this law is a form of discrimination.

The court ruling also says the law will stand until someone can show injury-in-fact and files a lawsuit.

Dan Fagan is a former television news reporter, journalism professor, newspaper columnist, and radio talk show host. He grew up in New Orleans and currently lives there. He is a regular contributor for The Hayride. If you have a news tip for Mr. Fagan you can reach him at faganshow@gmail.com or 504-458-2542.

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