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The United States Court of Appeals refuses to reconsider anti-LGBT law
The 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals refused a recommendation to reconsider challenges to bill HB1523, also known as the Religious Beliefs Accommodations Act, which was passed in Mississippi and advocates for increased legal protection for three religious beliefs: marriage is between a woman and a man, non-heterosexual relations should be condemned, and gender identity must correspond to birth-given sex indicator.The law grants special rights to individuals who hold these convictions and explicitly permits discrimination against LGBTQ people should their religion demand. The court upheld the law on the grounds of respecting the right to freedom of religion, and lack of standing as the plaintiffs could not show any real incidents of discrimination based upon the bill. The plaintiffs who initially sought Court of Appeal reconsideration of the bill will now move to the Supreme Court to rule on the bill’s constitutionality. Should the Supreme Court deny review, HB1523 will come into effect.
Barber v. Bryant No. 16-60477, No. 16-60478
Source: http://bit.ly/2yeHCxp