Mississippi actress Sela Ward said she is "overwhelmed with sadness" by her home state's recent passage of HB 1523, a religious freedom law that opponents argue legalizes discrimination against the LGBT community.
Ward, a Meridian native, is at a film convention in Las Vegas promoting the sequel to the sci-fi action movie Independence Day but sent a statement of reaction to The Clarion-Ledger Thursday.
"In recent days I have been asked about the religious objection law that was recently passed in Mississippi, my beloved home state. I have to say that I am deeply dismayed that bias and archaic points-of-view are still contaminating the thinking of our lawmakers. Our history is replete with unfortunate incidents of discrimination and injustice that we have worked extremely hard to transcend. Yes, we are confronting new social and emotional challenges, but the passing of this law sadly sets us back," Ward wrote in the statement.
Ward, who said she hopes the law is repealed, also said the bill shines a negative light on a state filled with beauty and rich contributions to society.
"Worse, once again the beauty of our State, of our people, of our rich contributions to the fabric of humanity are overshadowed by intolerance. We are all God’s creatures and endowed with His blessing of free will, and as a result equally entitled to have our individual choices respected despite the fact that they may not be universal choices."
The bill says people can deny services or goods for the "celebration or recognition of any marriage, based upon or in a manner consistent with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction," which would include pre-ceremony celebrations, post-wedding celebrations, anniversary celebrations and other related celebrations, opponents argue.
Ward is one of many celebrities speaking out against HB 1523.
Actress Sharon Stone recently said she would not come to Mississippi to film a movie, and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams canceled a concert in the state because of the law.
More than 90 authors from Mississippi, including John Grisham and Donna Tartt, blasted the law in a written statement and demanded its repeal.
Ward is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner best known for her television work in Sisters, Once and Again and CSI: NY as well as the feature films, The Fugitive and Gone Girl.
Ward and her husband, Howard Sherman, founded a group home and shelter for abused children, Hope Village for Children, in the early 2000s in Meridian.
Follow Steven Ward on Twitter: @wardreporter
