Collection Details:

Collection Name and Number: Human Rights Campaign Mississippi Protest Posters (Z/2393).
Creator/Collector: Unknown.
Date(s): 2016.
Size: 0.69 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Processed by: MDAH intern Samantha Case, 2023.
Provenance: Gift from Human Rights Campaign Mississippi, courtesy of Rob Hill, on July 23, 2020; Z/U/2020.020.
Repository: Archives & Records Services Division, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

Rights and Access:

Access restrictions: Collection is open for research.

Publication rights: Copyright assigned to the MDAH. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to Reference Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the MDAH as the owner of the physical items and as the owner of the copyright in items created by the donor. Although the copyright was transferred by the donor, the respective creator may still hold copyright in some items in the collection. For further information, contact Reference Services.

Copyright notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Preferred citation: Human Rights Campaign Mississippi Protest Posters (Z/2393), Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

Biography/History:

Human Rights Campaign Mississippi

First established in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign Fund was originally founded as a political action committee. Its first leader was Stephen R. Endean of Minnesota, who previously campaigned for gay rights in his home state and then worked for the Gay Rights National Lobby located in Washington, D.C. In 1995, the Human Rights Campaign Fund changed its name to Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and adopted its signature logo. This famous iconography features a yellow equal sign (=) on a navy blue background. It has become synonymous with the fight for LGBTQ+ equality across the United States. As of 2003, the Human Rights Campaign headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.

The Human Rights Campaign in Mississippi has established a foothold due to Project One America efforts by the HRC. This endeavor, established in 2014, has created permanent LGBTQ+ advocacy campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. At the time of the inception of Project One America, the HRC invested $8.5 million into furthering LGBTQ+ rights in the Deep South.

The name "Project One America" stems from divisions in how Americans viewed equality in terms of same-sex marriages. In 2013, the year before the Project was founded, the United States Supreme Court heard two cases related to same-sex marriage. United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry ruled in favor of LGBTQ+ individuals but established divisions in the American political climate at the time. "Two Americas," as deemed by the HRC, consisted of one on the coasts where LGBTQ+ people enjoyed civil rights, and one in regions where LGBTQ+ people had limited protections under the law. Project One America thus aimed to better connect the United States and its beliefs on the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including marriage equality.

On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the right to same-sex marriage was protected by the U.S. Constitution, and it thus became legal in all fifty states. The State of Mississippi response to the ruling was House Bill 1523, also known as the "Religious Liberty Accommodations Act." The Act claims "to provide certain protections regarding a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction for persons, religious organizations, and private associations."

The Act was approved in the Mississippi House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Phil Bryant. It was scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2016. In June of 2016, however, various activists enacted lawsuits challenging HB 1523. These cases, Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant III and Barber v. Bryant, were grouped together because of their similarity in their fight against HB 1523. Judge Carlton W. Reeves of the Southern District of Mississippi issued a preliminary injunction on June 30, 2016, that prevented the bill from going into effect. The injunction was later lifted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the law went into effect on June 23, 2017. This bill has spurred other states to take legislative action against Mississippi. In California, for example, Assembly Bill 1887 prohibits state employees from being required to travel to states where laws have been enacted that void or repeal "existing state or local protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

 

Related Collections:

Jocelyn "Joce" Pritchett Papers (Z/2388): Series 7 and Series 12 contain materials pertaining to Human Rights Campaign.

 

Scope and Content Note:

The Human Rights Campaign of Mississippi Protest Posters collection focuses on two handmade posters used in a protest against Mississippi House Bill 1523 on July 1, 2016. It took place on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson.

 
Series Identification:

Series 1: Protest Posters, 2016.

Two handmade posters from a protest on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol are included in this series. The creators of the posters is unknown.

The first poster features on one side the phrase "NO H8 in our State!" inside a geographical outline of the State of Mississippi. The background features the colors of the rainbow, referencing the gay pride flag. The other side of the poster features a blue background with a yellow equal sign in the middle, referencing the Human Rights Campaign official logo. The message on this poster demands that there be no hate in the State of Mississippi.

The second poster has material only on one side. It features the phrase "#BYE PHIL-ICIA" with multi-color letters. This references former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, whose picture is also present. A pink wig is taped onto his head, and his face is adorned with eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipstick. This poster includes various cultural references. The text of the poster references the popular slang phrase "Bye Felicia." This phrase originates from the 1995 comedy film Friday. It gained subsequent popularity after the phrase was referenced again in the 2015 drama film Straight Outta Compton. The "Bye Felicia" phrase is meant to be dismissive of others, usually with a negative connotation. Thus, this poster is ridiculing Governor Phil Bryant for his support of House Bill 1523.

Box 1, Folders 1-2

 

Box List:

Box 1

Folder 1: "NO H8 in our State!" Poster, 2016.
Folder 2: "#BYE PHIL-ICIA" Poster, 2016.