JACKSON, Miss. – In conservative Mississippi, some business owners who support equal treatment for gays and lesbians are pushing back against a new law that bans government from limiting the free practice of religion.
Hundreds of businesses are displaying window stickers that declare: "We don't discriminate. If you're buying, we're selling."
The sticker campaign started this month after Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Organizers say the first 500 stickers were distributed in about two weeks, and another 1,000 were on order.
The law takes effect July 1 and is similar to laws in 18 other states. It says government cannot put a substantial burden on religious practices. Critics fear it will sanction anti-gay bigotry in a state with a history of racial discrimination.
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