Bryant mum on New York protest of religious freedom act
12:54 p.m. CDT May 6, 2014
Geoff Pender, The Clarion-Ledger
The annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park each year draws thousands and allows the state to showcase its food, art and hospitality and draws many ex-pat Mississippians living in New York.
But this year, it's also drawing "polite protest" over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act recently passed by the Mississippi Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant.
A group of chefs, including Oxford restaurateur John Currence, in partnership with City Grit in Manhattan is planning "The Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table" dinner the night before the June 14 picnic.
The new law has drawn criticism and national publicity with critics saying it could promote discrimination against gay people and others on religious grounds. Supporters say that in its final version signed into law, it is simply a mirror of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed in 1993 and similar acts in 18 other states.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/05/06/chefs-to-protest-miss-religious-law/8759159/