JACKSON — After opening the only Grammy Museum outside Los Angeles in the Mississippi Delta, the museums’ director Bob Santelli had planned to bring his 28-year-old son to visit the high-tech facility honoring the cradle of the blues.
Organizers chose Cleveland, Mississippi, for the $20 million project because of the state’s music heritage, something Santelli, a music historian, said he enjoyed during his many visits to the state over the years. The Mississippi museum opened in March, and he said he was excited to share the state’s culture and history with his son.
But plans changed after Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523. The measure, which becomes law July 1, will let government and business workers cite religious beliefs against same-sex marriage to deny services to people.
Santelli’s son, who is gay, said he couldn’t visit Mississippi because he believes the law allows for discrimination.
The Grammy museums had previously released statements opposing the law, but now Santelli is making a personal call for repeal.
“I want this to be taken in the light of a father and an American,” Santelli told The Associated Press. “He’s my only son and someone who I really wanted to see the Grammy Museum. He won’t come now, and I don’t blame him.”
Supporters of the law, including Bryant, said it will protect people’s religious beliefs in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last summer that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
“If you read some of the overreaction, that’s my opinion, you would think that there would be some discriminatory action taking place here in Mississippi,” Bryant said April 20. “If that were the fact, I would not have signed the bill.”
Several other states have laws that say people would not have to provide services for same-sex marriages if doing so violates their religious beliefs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Santelli said musicians working with the museum had called him to express frustration with the law, though they said they would still help with the museum’s educational programs.
“I have long been an advocate for Mississippi, as a music historian,” he said. “I’ve been to the state many times and been moved by the hospitality I’ve been shown everywhere I traveled. This is a step backward for the state, and it saddens me.”
The city of Cleveland, Bolivar County and the state together put up more than $12 million for the museum, with the rest coming from private donors. In March, Cleveland Chamber of Commerce director Judson Thigpen estimated the museum could bring in about $20 million a year as a regional tourist attraction.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.