I have always loved Ellen DeGeneres. She’s real, funny and always making her audiences laugh. That’s why it was no surprise to see her response to Mississippi’s new ant-LGBT law. After all, the beloved actress came out in 1997 on Oprah’s TV show and was proud to be a role model for LGBT people struggling to be accepted by society.
The law that DeGeneres is so understandably upset about, the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” protects the religious beliefs that marriage is primarily between a male and female; that only men and women should be having sex; and that a person’s identity is “based on their genetics and anatomy at birth.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, individuals who deny services to LGBT people, citing these beliefs as their reason, are prohibited from being punished.
As you can imagine, people are not happy with Mississippi right now. In fact, five states — Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington — and three cities — San Francisco, Santa Fe and Seattle —have ordered their officials to refrain from unimportant travel to the southern state.
“We cannot allow this injustice to go unanswered,” Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement. “When the rights of some Americans are threatened, it is the responsibility of all Americans to stand in opposition to those discriminatory acts.”
During her talk show, DeGeneres addressed the fact that the law permits those of religious faith to refuse people in the LGBT community the right to adopt children, maintain jobs, or rent houses. She described the law as “the very definition of discrimination.”
“This is not politics. This is human rights. When I see something wrong, I have to talk about it,” said the visibly disappointed host.
While remaining her usual humorous self, DeGeneres pointed out to the audience that the Supreme Court already ruled on LGBT people’s rights in society. If marriage was made legal for all sexual orientations, Mississippi should follow suit and allow LGBT people to live normal lives like everyone else.
As she continued her passionate monologue, DeGeneres reminisced about her past in Mississippi.
“I was fired for being gay, and I know what it feels like. I lost everything, but look at me now,” she said as the crowd cheered. “I could buy that governor’s mansion, flip it, and make a $7 million profit.”
I stand behind DeGeneres 100 percent. Mississippi’s new law is hateful and treats LGBT people as if they aren’t human beings with guaranteed rights. It’s time for the state to accept the modern world as it is today and treat every person the same. Mississippi is going back in time, and it will produce highly negative consequences for LGBT people.
Featured image via Flickr by Ron Paul via a Creative Commons 2.0 license.
