President Obama thinks the Anti-LGBT laws are wrong and should be overturned.

President Obama touched on the Anti-LGBT laws in Mississippi and North Carolina in a press conference with UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

President Obama said:

"I think that the laws that have been passed there are wrong and should be overturned and they're in response to politics in part and some strong emotions that are generated by people. The U.S. is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country," the warning reads. "LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi."

Watch

Pres. Obama says he thinks 'anti-LGBT' laws passed in NC and MS "are wrong and should be overturned." https://t.co/zOGCqrq8nJ

— ABC News (@ABC) April 22, 2016

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Tennessee's Anti-LGBT Legislation

Well, this is a question that individual agencies have been considering after previous states have passed these bills into law. I don’t know what mechanism is in place for individual agencies to consider those kinds of questions in advance of a law being passed, but you can check with the Department of Education for greater clarity on that.

What I can tell you is that the administration is firmly committed to promoting and defending equal rights of all Americans, including LGBT Americans. And specific laws like this that seek to target and marginalize one small segment of the population is nothing less than mean-spirited. That was true when they passed similar provisions in places like North Carolina and Mississippi, and it’s true even as it’s being considered in a place like Tennessee.

What’s also true in Tennessee is that that state has thrived economically in part because of their ability to make their case to businesses across the country that they’ve got a great climate for doing business. Passing mean-spirited bills through the state legislature is not a good endorsement of your business climate. And ultimately, individual businesses will have to make their own decisions about this.

I think what is also true is that states like Tennessee and, to a certain extent, North Carolina and Mississippi, have a long history even over the last couple of generations of working through questions of civil rights. And President Obama has talked on a number of occasions about the important progress that our country has made with regard to civil rights. This is a good illustration that the fight for civil rights is not over, and demanding equality for every American and ensuring that those Americans are not singled out or targeted because of their sex or their race or what their last name or their religion, or who they love or who they are is a struggle that continues. And the President, every time, is going to be on the side of equality and fairness and justice for every American.

In Tennessee: Lawmakers pass Counseling Discrimination bill

Gov. Haslam

Lord, my homestate!

Lawmakers in Tennessee just passed a bill that would allow mental health professionals to refuse service to anyone that troubles their religious beliefs Basically, another hate/Anti-LGBT bill. HB 1840 passed the House with a vote of 68-22, then in the Senate with 27-5.

The state's ACLU reports on how this bill is dangerous

What SB 1556/HB 1840 would do: This bill would allow counselors and therapists to discriminate against clients based on the counselor’s own religious beliefs. By allowing discrimination against clients, this bill defies professional standards and could cause significant harm to vulnerable people who are seeking help.

If this bill becomes law, counselors could refuse to see clients for almost unlimited reasons. For instance, a counselor could refuse to see a lesbian simply because of her sexual orientation, or to see a couple involved in an interfaith relationship. A counselor who is an atheist could refuse to see a Catholic client—and the list goes on.

For people seeking counseling because they are faced with a critical dilemma in their lives and need objective guidance, allowing mental health professionals to discriminate could cause grave damage. Many who need care already face significant barriers, including trauma, marginalization, and a historic distrust of mental health providers. For some—like a woman who wants to escape her abusive spouse or a gay teen being bullied, for example—this bill could affect their very survival.

Turning away clients because of personal religious beliefs creates unethical barriers to access to care. Some places—such as schools—only have one counselor. If a school counselor refused care to a student, that child would have no other option to get the care he or she needed. Tennessee also has many rural communities that have few providers. If there is not another counselor nearby, it may be challenging or impossible for a client to get the child care, transportation and time off required to travel for treatment. Additionally, there may not be another provider within a reasonable distance that accepts a client’s insurance.

Now, HB 1840 goes to GOP Gov. Bill Haslam to sign. He better veto