US President Barack Obama on Friday called for the repeal of laws in North Carolina and Mississippi which discriminate on the basis of sexual and gender orientation. In Mississippi, Republican Governor Phil Bryant has signed a law allowing officials and businesses to deny marriage-related services to gay people or refuse to employ them if they feel it would violate their religious beliefs. North Carolina last week moved to curtail a law targeting gay and transgender people, following a growing backlash from companies and celebrities, but stopped short of ending limits to public bathroom access.
