--- description: Laws in North Carolina and Mississippi "should be overturned" Obama said title: Obama: Mississippi and North Carolina LGBT Laws 'Should Be Overturned' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e0af548d87968bc/6988905ccf40a822b1c42f2b/gettyimages-523220768.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Obama: Mississippi and North Carolina LGBT Laws 'Should Be Overturned' ## Video: Queen Elizabeth II Welcomes the Obamas, Invites them for Lunch [Watch (HLS stream): Queen Elizabeth II Welcomes the Obamas, Invites them for Lunch](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ERsdOJdG.m3u8) (0:58)  _Published 2016-04-22. Queen Elizabeth II invited President Obama and the First Lady for lunch at Windsor Castle, just a day after her 90th birthday._ by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 22, 2016 5:34 PM CUT  US President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on April 22, 2016 in London, England. WPA Pool—Getty Images US President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on April 22, 2016 in London, England. WPA Pool—Getty ImagesWPA Pool—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 22, 2016 5:34 PM CUT President Obama said laws that have been passed in North Carolina and Mississippi targeting the LGBT community are “wrong and should be overturned” in a Friday joint press conference with the British Prime Minister David Cameron in London. The president said U.K. travelers would be welcome in both states despite the laws, an assurance that follows [a travel advisory from the U.K. Foreign Minister’s office](http://time.com/4303101/u-k-warns-lgbt-travelers-about-north-carolina-and-mississippi-laws/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") issued in response to the two measures. “You should come and enjoy yourself,” President Obama said. “I think you would be treated with extraordinary hospitality.” But he added, “I also think that the laws that have been passed there are wrong and should be overturned.” The president blamed a combination of politics and emotions for the laws that many see as discriminatory against gays, lesbians, and trans people. Mississippi’s bill would go into effect in July and would allow organizations to deny service to LGBT people based on objections to same sex marriage. North Carolina’s bill mandates that transgender people use the bathroom that accords with their birth sex. “Although I respect their different viewpoints, I think it’s very important not to send signals that anybody is treated differently,” Obama said. “But, if you guys come to North Carolina and Mississippi, everyone will be treated well.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/"},"headline":"President Obama: Mississippi and North Carolina LGBT Laws 'Should Be Overturned'","datePublished":"2016-04-22T17:34:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:58:28.737Z","description":"The laws are \"wrong,\" Obama said","url":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama","Obama","LGBT","President Obama"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e0af548d87968bc/6988905ccf40a822b1c42f2b/gettyimages-523220768.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e0af548d87968bc/6988905ccf40a822b1c42f2b/gettyimages-523220768.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Obama Meets With David Cameron At Downing Street","caption":"President Obama Meets With David Cameron At Downing Street","creditText":"WPA Pool—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/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/","name":"President Obama: Mississippi and North Carolina LGBT Laws 'Should Be Overturned'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Queen Elizabeth II Welcomes the Obamas, Invites them for Lunch","description":"Queen Elizabeth II invited President Obama and the First Lady for lunch at Windsor Castle, just a day after her 90th birthday.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ERsdOJdG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-04-22T20:24:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ERsdOJdG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/","duration":"PT58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4305058/barack-obama-lgbt-north-carolina-mississippi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```