--- description: Mississippi lawmakers called for the repeal of a new law that allows businesses to refuse service to gay people based on religion title: Mississippi Lawmakers Act to Repeal Religious Freedom Law image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1b97f22b3177a50/69888ecf5f570f2eafb2070b/mississippi-law.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Mississippi Lawmakers Act to Repeal Religious Freedom Law  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 12, 2016 6:05 PM CUT  A cannon sits in front of the Mississippi State Capitol building, Aug. 14, 2007, in Jackson, Mississippi. A cannon sits in front of the Mississippi State Capitol building, Aug. 14, 2007, in Jackson, Mississippi.Suzi Altman—Bloomberg/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 12, 2016 6:05 PM CUT Mississippi lawmakers on Tuesday [called for the repeal](http://www.wlox.com/story/31702797/state-lawmakers-call-for-repeal-of-hb1523 "undefined") of a [controversial new law](http://time.com/4282391/mississippi-law-refuse-gay-couples/ "undefined") that allows businesses to refuse service to gay people based on religious objection. The lawmakers held a news conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday to introduce a suspension resolution, dubbed the Mississippi Economic and Tourism Recovery Act, [local news station WLOX reported](http://www.wlox.com/story/31702797/state-lawmakers-call-for-repeal-of-hb1523 "undefined"). Opponents of the law say is has affected the state’s economy and has negatively impacted public perception of the state. “Mississippi has been here before – we must give reasonable minds and the principles of democracy an opportunity to be heard,” Rep. Jay Hughes said in a Facebook post on Monday night. “Repeal HB1523\. All Mississippians are equal.” The law has drawn criticism from [businesses](http://time.com/4284329/ceos-mississippi-lgbt-law/ "undefined") as well as celebrities. [Ellen DeGeneres](http://time.com/4286050/ellen-degeneres-mississippi-law-lgbt/ "undefined") called it “the definition of discrimination,” while singer [Bryan Adams](http://time.com/4288369/bryan-adams-mississippi-cancels-show/ "undefined") canceled his upcoming show in the state to show his opposition to the law. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4291112/mississippi-lawmakers-religious-freedom-law/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4291112/mississippi-lawmakers-religious-freedom-law/"},"headline":"Mississippi Lawmakers Act to Repeal Religious Freedom Law","datePublished":"2016-04-12T18:05:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:40:41.797Z","description":"They say it is negatively impacting the state's economy","url":"https://time.com/4291112/mississippi-lawmakers-religious-freedom-law/","keywords":["Mississippi"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1b97f22b3177a50/69888ecf5f570f2eafb2070b/mississippi-law.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1b97f22b3177a50/69888ecf5f570f2eafb2070b/mississippi-law.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A cannon sits in front of the Mississippi State Capitol buil","caption":"A cannon sits in front of the Mississippi State Capitol buil","creditText":"Suzi Altman—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4291112/mississippi-lawmakers-religious-freedom-law/","name":"Mississippi Lawmakers Act to Repeal Religious Freedom Law"}}]}] ```