‘Jesus’ takes aim at ‘insane’ new Mississippi anti-gay law
A new billboard featuring Jesus Christ takes aim at religious bigotry in Mississippi.
The advertisement was taken out by a non-profit organisation following a harsh new anti-gay bill was signed into law by the state’s governor.
Phil Bryant signed the controversial bill – which allows businesses to discriminate against LGBT people – into law earlier this week.
It comes as Republicans across the US attempt to push a new wave of state level anti-LGBT legislation in response to the introduction of same-sex marriage last year.
However, unlike bills passed in other states, Mississippi’s House Bill 1523 only protects people with anti-LGBT religious views, making it the most anti-LGBT bill to date.
It states that it’s acceptable to discriminate someone who identifies as LGBT, if the view is held that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, sex should only happen in marriage and male and female refer only to someone’s anatomy.
In response to bill’s success non-profit organisation, Planting Peace, purchased a space on an electronic billboard in an attempt to remind Christians in the state of “the true message of Christ”.
“The intent of this billboard is to bring awareness to how the anti-LGBT movement continues to try to move us backwards in the fight for equal rights,” Aaron Jackson, president of Planting Peace, told The Huffington Post.
“Like many other anti-LGBT groups, Governor Bryant and Mississippi legislators are citing ‘religious objections’ as a validation for discrimination and being extremely selective in their definition of ‘traditional’ institutions or values.”
Jackson added, “There are LGBT youth across the world who are taking their lives at an alarming rate because of these messages that make them feel broken or less than.
“We have to meet intolerance with compassion. Our message to our LGBT youth: You are loved, valued, supported, and beautiful.”
Planting Peace is the organisation behind The Equality House — a rainbow-coloured building that sits opposite the Westboro Baptist Church compound.
The group has engaged in a number of protests at the Equality House, most aimed at Westboro – including the infamous ‘wedding’ between Dumbledore and Gandalf last year.
