Gov. Mark Dayton
Governor Mark Dayton has instructed all state employees to refrain from any non-essential travel to Mississippi, after that state passed a law allowing religious groups and businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people. Dayton says Mississippi’s new law falls “far below a standard of the legal and moral obligations that we have to respect the rights of our citizens.” Dayton took a similar step last week in response to what he calls discriminatory laws passed in North Carolina. He calls Mississippi’s action “a step backward for this country.”