6/3/2014

Washington-Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) praised the Jackson, Mississippi city council for passing an equality resolution recognizing the worth and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people .

“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Project One Director Brad Clark, “This resolution sends a message of inclusion to all Mississippians that all LGBT people are vital and thriving members of the community in Jackson.”

Jackson joins seven other Mississippi cities passing diversity resolutions recently—Starkville, Hattiesburg, Greenville, Magnolia, Bay St. Louis, Oxford, and Waveland.

“I want there to be no doubt that Jackson is a great city,” said Councilman Melvin Priester. “Whether you are a teenager here in Mississippi or a multinational corporation considering whether to open up shop here, I want you to know that you will be welcomed here in Jackson, you will be welcomed warmly and you will be treated fairly.”

The resolutions are passed as HRC makes preparations to hire three dedicated staffers in Jackson with space for Project One America, an effort to dramatically expand equality to people in Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Earlier this week, Project One America launched a story-telling campaign to discuss the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Summer of Conversations is meant for people to host formal or informal gatherings of friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones on front porches, in backyards and over the dinner table. 

Study after study shows that simply knowing someone who is LGBT dramatically increases support for measures that protect LGBT people from discrimination. A report by Public Religion Research Institute shows when Americans know someone gay or lesbian, they are more likely to favor LGBT protections. The study finds nearly two-thirds of Americans have a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian, nearly three times the number reported in 1993. Also, roughly one in ten know someone who is transgender.