A crowd of people including Mississippi State University students and concerned citizens huddled together on the steps of Mississippi’s Capitol building at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning while an older blonde woman gave hand warmers to those without gloves.
“For the gloveless,” she said as she handed them to the protestors, most who were holding signs that said, “Segregation didn’t work the first time,” “They are precious in his sight” and “Let God be the qualifier.”
People were there to protest Senate Bill 2681, the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act — a bill crtics say is similar to those recently struck down by legislative bodies in Kansas and Arizona. The bill is designed to protect the free exercise of religion.
Justin Dornbusch, history graduate student and secretary of the campus activist group LGBTQ Union, organized the protest on Facebook so that MSU students could voice their concerns regarding the bill.
“The language in Senate Bill 2681 basically could’ve allowed discrimination against any group, and the LGBTQ community is especially vulnerable,” Dornbusch said.
The Mississippi Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 2681 on Jan. 31. The original bill said it was an act “to provide that state action or an action by any person based on state action shall not burden a person’s right to the exercise of religion and for related purposes.”
At 9:40 a.m., halfway through the protest, the House Committee discussed the bill briefly, changing the language to include “substantially” before “burden.” The bill also changes the state seal to include, “In God We Trust.”
“I think the most stunning part of this whole process is the fact that nobody in the legislature thought twice about the LGBTQ community initially when they passed this bill or when they were debating this bill,” Dornbusch said. “That may not be the case towards the end of it now, but at least initially that never crossed their minds. So, I think that needs to change.”
Justin Glover, who graduated from MSU in 2012, said he believes the bill is an  attempt to use religion to promote discriminatory law.
“To me, as a gay Christian, one of the most important things to let people know about this law is that it’s purportedly saving religious rights — and, let’s admit, in Mississippi, largely they’re talking about Christians — and encoding animus, encoding hate, enshrining it in the law is antithetical to the message of Jesus,” Glover said.
Glover referenced the Bible verse Luke 6:29, which reads, “If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.” Glover said he does not believe the religious freedom bill reflects this passage.
“His (Jesus’) message was one of giving and one of love and not one of hate or even preserving oneself,” Glover said. 
Mary Woodward, vice chancellor at Catholic Diocese of Jackson who speaks for the Mississippi State University Catholic Student Association, said freedom of religion needs to be preserved and it can sometimes fall under attack by the government.
“The forefathers thought it was important enough to put it in the First Amendment and it should be continually respected. Certain nuances that are passed in legislation need to be watched,” Woodward said. “I think our biggest concern that we’ve been dealing with is the health care provisions that would force us to provide things opposed to our teaching in our health care policies for employees for the church.”
Woodward said, however, that the church does not tolerate discrimination and she doesn’t know if the bill is necessary since freedom of religion is already protected under federal law. She said that she hopes Christians would not use their freedom of religion to discriminate against anyone.
“We would be concerned if it had language that was discriminatory against anyone, but we don’t want the government interfering with our right to practice our religion,” Woodward said. 
Christopher Little, Spanish graduate student, grew up in Mississippi and has lived in Mississippi most of his life, which is why he said he was not surprised by the use of religion in the bill. He said he believes the language is hypocritical and that Christians should focus on helping everyone as opposed to creating a divide between the LGBTQ community. 
“It’s a cheap thing to hide behind,” Little said at the protest.
Little, whose mother is a lesbian, said he is very aware of how difficult just existing can be for those in the LGBTQ community, especially considering the lack of protection they receive in the law.
“This just feels like it’s redundant, and it’s kind of rubbing salt in the wound in a weird way. I feel like if it were to pass, then the problems that we already have, especially in places that aren’t as progressive as Starkville, would get that much worse,” Little said.
Jacqui Collins, who graduated from MSU with a degree in communication in December 2013 and recently started her transition into a woman, said she attended the protest to bring visibility to the transgender community. She said she feels people like her are especially vulnerable to laws like these.
“Unlike a lot of members of the LGBTQ community, we (transgendered people) are easier to spot,” Collins said.
Collins said she believes discrimination does not correlate with the Christian values she was raised with. She said she was taught that Jesus loved unconditionally and that Christians should strive to be Christ-like.
“Maybe they’ll see that we’re normal people just like them just trying to live our lives,” Collins said while holding a sign that read, “LGBTQ civil rights now! No to HB2681.” 
Hugh Griffith, Wesley Foundation reverend at MSU, said in an email he believes legislation couldn’t solve the issues that religious communities face.
“Some people support the bill on the basis of faith and freedom, and some oppose the bill on the basis of faith and freedom.  The perceived needs and opinions that motivate people to support this bill or to oppose it point to a much deeper need we humans share — to be free from our brokenness.  And you can’t pass a law to accomplish that.  I believe the driving force behind this legislative debate is our longing for a new reality when all things are set right and made new.  That new reality is what we refer to as the Kingdom of God, and that’s what Jesus brings and invites us to follow him into.  There’s a place for laws and legislation, but we’d surely come to a better place if only we would seek and strive for the Kingdom of God as energetically as we strive for or strive against legislation,” Griffith said.
Michael Waldrop, junior political science major, said the initial bill reinforced attitudes Mississippi has worked hard to change.
“Mississippi has made really great strides within the past several decades to overcome the stereotype of being a state that discriminates,” Waldrop said. “The passage of this law would be a big step back for the state.”
Waldrop recalled a time he was discriminated against when he was asked to leave an organization’s meeting because of his sexual orientation. 
“I never want to have that feeling again, and I would not wish that upon anybody because you’re being asked to leave for being who you are,” Waldrop said.
Dornbusch said LGBTQ people in Mississippi communities already lack basic protection and are provided limited rights, listing marriage rights, hospital visitation and adoption rights as examples. 
Judy Spencer, MSU chief human resources officer, said MSU does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. MSU’s discrimination policy states, “Mississippi State University is committed to assuring that the University and its programs are free from discrimination and harassment based upon race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran or any other status protected by state or federal law.”
“We are not going to discriminate. We have policies and procedures — those are communicated to all new employees at orientation, and then from time to time we do training so that everyone is aware,” Spencer said.
Spencer said the discrimination policy is applied to all university-related groups and divisions. The policy is enforced through complaints, which can be made to Human Resources or the Dean of Students. Discrimination complaints can also be made online by clicking on “Ethics Line” at the bottom of MSU’s home page.