Mississippi has often been home to controversy, especially over its legislation. Controversy was sparked again when Governor Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523 into law on April 5, 2016. Soon after the signing, the whole country started talking about the bill. Some praised the bill calling it a “religious freedoms” bill, while others slammed it declaring it “discriminatory against the LGBT+ community.”

The Gender and Sexualities Alliance (previously known as the Gay-Straight Alliance) is one of the biggest clubs at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science with more 40 members. The GSA often hosts discussions about current events in the Mississippi LGBT+ community. Due to this, the GSA had a joint meeting with the MSMS Interfaith Dialogue Society a week after the bill’s signing to discuss how it affects the Magnolia State in a civil rights-way and economically.

The officers of GSA opened the meeting by presenting the bill and explaining how it affects fellow Mississippians, providing direct quotes from HB 1523. After covering the bill’s effects to Mississippians’ civil rights and the Mississippi economy, the meeting was open for a full discussion of the bill.

GSA Vice President and incoming President Emily Hook is proud of how the meeting went.

“I thought the meeting went really well. I think when it comes to issues like HB 1523 people tend to listen to the general consensus of the public/their friends and form their opinions based on that, without ever actually reading the original source themselves,” Hook said. “It was good to bring together a group of people to actually look at the specifics of the bill and be presented the facts with as little bias as possible.”

Hook believes that the bill is designed to hurt Mississippi, rather than bring it together.

“As for the bill itself, in my opinion it’s a thinly-veiled attempt to protect discriminators from discrimination,” Hook contended. “Religion does not and should not belong in politics, especially not when it’s so clearly being utilized to benefit a single group at the expense of another.”

Interfaith Dialogue Society President Jake Bozlee is glad that the two clubs came together to discuss the bill.

“I thought the meeting went well,” Bozlee said. “The discussions and presentation opened up sections of the bill I hadn’t heard of before. I enjoyed the highlights posted by the officers’ and Dr. Odom’s [GSA’s sponsor] contributions.”

Bozlee also believes that HB 1523 does more harm than good.

“The bill claims to extend freedoms to groups, but instead only restricts freedoms of groups that aren’t supported by the majority,” Bozlee said.

Anytime controversial legislation is introduced, there will be arguments that deserve to be heard. Thanks to organizations like GSA and Interfaith, these arguments can be heard in a constructive and peaceful way.

Editor’s Note: Givens is President of the Gender and Sexualities Alliance.