Mississippi passed a religious conscience law for Christians. (Muslims already get 1st amendment protection for their religious objections so they don’t need this.)
The new protections have rankled the sensibilities of once-upon-a-time-more-well-known-rock-star Bryan Adams who has refused to perform in the State because he thinks it would be inappropriate. People might have their civil rights discriminated against (by Christians) because they are gay. The irony? Adams just toured Egypt last month.
Being gay isn’t technically illegal there but it is, after all, a Muslim country so gays are arrested on euphemistic charges like “debauchery.” Punishment can be harsh too: The CNN story at the last link mentions one sentence of 12 years. Egyptian police are known to pose as gay men and women on gay dating apps like Grindr to try to entrap locals; humiliations like anal probes also aren’t unheard of during arrests. The dark irony, per this Independent story on persecution of gays in Egypt, is that “secular” regimes like Mubarak’s and Sissi’s have cracked down harder than the Muslim Brotherhood did during the brief period a few years ago when they ruled the country.
Adams has also performed in Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE, but just in exchange for money.
Maybe next time in lieu of a cash payment he can request amnesty for any imprisoned homosexuals. That would be a nice gesture.
