Ellen DeGeneres Speaks Out Against Mississippi's Anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Bill: 'This Is Not Politics, This

By
The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Ellen DeGeneres took an uncharacteristic serious moment at the top of her show on Thursday to address the anti-LGBT bill which was signed into law by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Tuesday.

“I’m not a political person, I’m really not,” DeGeneres told her audience. “But this is not politics, this is human rights.”

NEWS: Disney and Marvel Threaten Production Boycott if Georgia Anti-Gay Bill Is Signed

The state’s House Bill 1523 will take effect in July and allow business, individuals and religious organizations in Mississippi to deny service to LGBT individuals, single mothers and any others who offend their “sincerely held religious belief.”

“That is the definition of discrimination,” the talk show host explained. “It is also something that the Supreme Court already ruled on when they made marriage a right for everyone.”

The law also targets transgender residents of the states, effectively making one’s sex assigned at birth permanently unchangeable and the only gender recognized by the state.

“If you’re in Mississippi or North Carolina or anywhere, and you’re saddened by the fact that people are judging you based on who you love, don’t lose hope,” DeGeneres said. “I was fired for being gay, I know what it feels like. I lost everything. But look at me now.”

NEWS: Miley Cyrus, Ashton Kutcher and More React to Indiana's Anti-Gay Bill

The talk show host delivered the serious message with a hint of humor, adding her voice to the many celebs who have spoke out against similar discriminatory laws and proposals in states like North Carolina, Indiana, and Georgia.

“There’s already so much inequality in the world: women’s rights, gender pay gap, racism,” she continued. “I think we need to remember that we are more similar than we are different. We all want the same things: love, acceptance, kindness, and I want one of those new Teslas.”

“I advocate for less hate and more love,” DeGeneres added. “Less tearing apart and more coming together. Less sitting and more dancing.”

WATCH: Ellen DeGeneres Fires Back at Critics Claiming She has a 'Gay Agenda'