Michelle Obama Visits Mississippi, Criticizes New LGBT Law

Saturday while giving the commencement address at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, first lady Michelle Obama spoke out against the new religious freedom law in Mississippi called the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.”

Obama said, “If we fail to exercise our fundamental right to vote, then I guarantee that so much of the progress we’ve fought for will be under threat. Congress will still be gridlocked. Statehouses will continue to roll back voting rights and write discrimination into the law. We see it right here in Mississippi — just two weeks ago -– how swiftly progress can hurtle backward, how easy it is to single out a small group and marginalize them because of who they are or who they love.”

She continued, “So we’ve got to stand side by side with all our neighbors –- straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender; Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu immigrant, Native American — because the march for civil rights isn’t just about African-Americans, it’s about all Americans. It’s about making things more just, more equal, more free for all our kids and grandkids. That’s the story you all have the opportunity to write. That’s what this historic university has prepared you to do.”