Mississippi’s Anti-Gay Segregation Bill Got Unanimous Bipartisan Support

By Mark Joseph Stern

In late January, weeks before Kansas’ and Arizona’s odious anti-gay segregation bills drew fury across the country, the Mississippi state Senate quietly passed its own viciously homophobic “religious liberty” measure to virtually no fanfare. The bill, which is nearly identical to Arizona’s, would have the same effect as its now-notorious counterparts, allowing any private business to turn away gays at the door. But unlike Kansas’ and Arizona’s bills, which drew fierce Democratic opposition, the Mississippi measure passed with unanimous bipartisan support.

Yes, you read that right: Every single voting member of the state Senate, Republican and Democrat, supported a bill that would effectively allow segregation of gay and straight people throughout Mississippi. (Four state senators didn’t vote, but not for stated political purposes.) At the time, the bill drew no national attention and minimal local coverage. But now, in the shadow of the Arizona debacle, some legislators are starting to back away from their votes—and their excuses don’t quite line up.

The most vocal Democratic apologist for the bill, Sen. David Blount, defended his vote by claiming that he had no idea what he was supporting. “I learned that the bill passed unanimously by the state Senate a month ago to change the state seal also includes language that could legalize discrimination,” Blount stated. This seems highly implausible: The bill does contain an amendment adding “In God We Trust” to the state seal, but it’s a minor, one-page provision tacked on to the end of two and a half pages protecting a religious right to discriminate. Blount’s second claim is even more improbable:

I was not aware (nor was any other Senator or interest group or citizen that I have talked to aware) of this intention or possible result when we voted on the bill on Jan. 31. I am opposed to discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on sexual orientation. Obviously, I should have (all of us should have) been aware of this.