The HRC released a report last Wednesday that highlighted LGBT protection laws in each state. The report says Mississippi is one of 30 states in the country that lacks specific state-level workplace protections for all LGBT employees.
Sarah Warblow is Legal Director of the HRC. She says Mississippi's current laws don't protect LGBT people from discrimination when it comes to employment, and even housing.
"As you can imagine, it means that people are often redisent to share who they are, or live in fear that someone's going to discover that they're LGBT, and that they are going to lose their job or be kicked out of their apartment," says Warblow.
Warblow says the battle for acceptance for the LGBT community also extends into the schools with laws that restrict inclusion.
Brandi Hephner Labanc is with the University of Mississippi. She says two years ago, the harassment and anti-discrimination policies were looked at and changed to be more inclusive of LGBT students. An on-campus event called "Pride Camp" is one example.
"It can be a hidden community, and so for them to know 'Ok, there's other folks like me on campus', it was aimed at incoming first year or transfer students who identified as LGBTQ, to spend the day together and meet those allies on campus," says Labanc.
The report also focused on issues regarding same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage in the state. The HRC says they plan on working with lawmakers to protect the rights of LGBT Mississippians.
