Clarksdale Passes Non-Discrimination Ordinance
November 2nd, 2018
While Mississippi is one of 30 states that do not have LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws, several changes have recently occurred on the local level.
While Mississippi is one of 30 states that do not have LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws, several changes have recently occurred in the state regarding its approach to LGBTQ laws. Most noticeably, local communities in the state, including most recently Clarksdale, have passed LGBTQ-inclusive discrimination ordinances.
Efforts by the Human Rights Campaign
The creation of local LGBTQ non-discrimination laws in Mississippi is due in part to a 2014 program called Project One America, which was launched by the Human Rights Campaign to improve the rights of LGBTQ individuals in the United States. Traditionally, southern states like Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi have had a history of being opposed to LGBTQ rights.
As a result, there are currently few non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in the areas of employment, housing, or public accommodations who live in these areas.
Local Changes in Mississippi
In 2016, Jackson, Mississippi passed a local ordinance protecting LGBTQ individuals from discrimination. The small town of Magnolia followed soon after, and Clarksdale is the most recent city in the state with its LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance effective since August 14, 2018. The ordinance was passed after a unanimous vote by the board of commissioners.
The Clarksdale ordinance includes city-wide non-discrimination protections on the basis of a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation. In response, the Mayor of Clarksdale issued a press release supporting the city’s new non-discrimination ordinance.
The Future of Mississippi and Anti-LGBTQ Laws
The passing of the Clarksdale ordinance allows the state to overturn one of its anti-LGBTQ laws, House Bill 1523. Referred to a “religious freedom” state law, this measure was passed in 2016 and allows any business or individual to cite religious beliefs as a reason to refuse service to LGBTQ individuals.
These religious beliefs include the perspective that marriage should only be recognized as the union between one man and one woman, that sexual relations are only reserved for marriage, and that male and female identities are immutable conditions determined by anatomy and genetics at the time that a person is born. As a result, some areas of Mississippi have a history of being anti-LGBTQ, including the city of Starkville, which earlier this year denied a petition for the town’s first gay rights parade.
The Goals of the ULC Blog
This Clarksdale ordinance is a step forward in the rights of LGBTQ individuals after the state of Mississippi has struggled with LGBTQ rights. Not everyone has responded positively to this recent Clarksdale measure, though. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has commented that this ordinance is an attempt to use government power to force religious individuals to recognize the rights of LGBTQ individuals.
Each month, the Universal Life Church’s blog strives to explain complicated legal matters than affect us all. While there have been numerous developments in LGBTQ rights over the last few years, there are still many states that have yet to pass laws that recognize the rights of LGBTQ individuals.
(image courtesy of yannis-papanastasopoulos)
