JACKSON—Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released its final ad in its LGBT public education campaign, All God’s Children. In addition to Mary Jane Kennedy and State Representative Alyce Clarke featured in the concluding ad, Rev. Stan Wilson also shares his thoughts on welcoming LGBT people into his congregation. Rev. Wilson is a pastor at Northside Baptist Church and knows that his faith encourages him to speak up for the dignity of all, including LGBT people.
“Reverend Wilson’s message in this ad is clear: we’re all God’s children. As people of faith, we believe that all LGBT people deserve our love and acceptance, and that all should be welcome at God’s table,” said HRC Mississippi director Rob Hill.
With faith at the center of the effort, All God’s Children is $310,000, four-week public education campaign that aims to strengthen the foundation of public support for LGBT Mississippians, aid in the passage of pro-equality legislation, increase visibility and familiarity with transgender people and bolster efforts to win marriage equality for Mississippi’s same-sex couples. The first ad featured Mary Jane Kennedy, a Southern Baptist mother, and the second ad featured Alyce Clarke, the first black woman elected to the Mississippi Legislature. The third ad featured Sergeant Justin Kelly, an openly gay Iraq war veteran from Mississippi’s Delta region. And the fourth ad showcased Blossom Brown, a transgender student at the Mississippi University for Women.
Since launching the campaign, HRC Mississippi has also:
· Hosted a telephone town hall with thousands of Mississippians from across the state. Speakers included lifetime NAACP Member and State Senator Derrick Simmons and former state representative Brandon Jones;
· Engaged community members through volunteer phone banks;
· Held meaningful conversations with Jackson residents through door-to-door canvassing.
The campaign is the latest large-scale effort of HRC’s Project One America, an initiative geared towards advancing social, institutional and legal equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. HRC Mississippi is working to advance equality for LGBT Mississippians who have no state or municipal level protections in housing, workplace, or public accommodations; legal state recognition for their relationships and families; state rights to jointly adopt children; and state protections from hate crimes. Through HRC Mississippi, we are working toward a future of fairness every day—changing hearts, minds and laws toward achieving full equality.
