NATCHEZ — Tuesday’s passage of a state “religious freedom” law has local religious leaders, business owners and Mississippi lawmakers split on the issue.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act into law Monday.

Critics of the law say it allows religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people. Mississippi’s new law echoed attempts made in other states with varying levels of success following last year’s Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.

Saying he was protecting religious freedom, Bryant signed the bill without hesitation or fanfare just hours after it cleared its final legislative obstacle Monday, and before opponents could try to talk him out of it.

In addition to opposition from gay-rights activists, two leading state business associations and a number of large corporations in recent days had publicly raised opposition to the bill.

In the House, lawmakers representing the Natchez area were split on the bill. Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb, and Rep. Angela Cockerham, D-Magnolia, voted for the bill. Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, voted against the bill.

Mims said does not think the law is discriminatory and does “not create any protection for businesses that deny service to a person based on sexual orientation.”

“I think (the legislation) was important to people who feel strongly (about) their ability to run their business … as they see fit,” he said.

The two employment provisions in the bill would allow businesses, schools and religious organizations to set dress codes and to keep men out of women’s bathrooms, dressing rooms and showers, Mims said.

“I wouldn’t want a man dressed up as a woman using the same bathroom as my daughter,” he said.

In the Senate, Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, and Sen. Tammy Witherspoon, D-McComb, voted against the bill.

Dearing said after hearing the debate on the Senate floor and reviewing the bill, he could not vote for it.

“I feel like it is discriminatory toward a certain segment of our society,” he said.

Aside from discrimination, Dearing said he thinks the law will have a negative impact on economic development in Mississippi.

Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a similar religious objections bill last week after large companies including Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines and others expressed vehement opposition, and national sports organizations hinted that they might hold their important events elsewhere. South Dakota’s governor vetoed a similar proposal limiting bathroom options for transgender people. In North Carolina, an economic backlash broadened Tuesday, with PayPal announcing it has canceled a major expansion in the state.

Dearing said he fears the same will happen in Mississippi.

“Projects we’ve got on the drawing board, they could just disappear because of this,” Dearing said.

Mims said he does not think the law will negatively impact economic development.

“I’m not concerned about that at all,” he said. “I think when people read the bill and understand this piece of legislation, the fear will go away.”

In Natchez, author Greg Iles said financially speaking, Bryant has crippled the state of Mississippi.

“It’s not just Hollywood that detests discriminatory laws like this,” Iles said. “Fortune 500 companies have proved they will deny states business based on this kind of measure. But make no mistake, this law could cost the city of Natchez between $30 million and $40 million a year, three years in a row, from a single Hollywood production. If someone says they don’t care about that, then they can’t claim to be pro-business.”

Beyond future businesses, David Browning of Cotton Alley Café said the law will likely have negative consequences on one of Natchez’s and the state’s current biggest industries — tourism.

“We have a great amount of tourism here, and this is just a step backward,” Browning said. “As far as future businesses coming here … I think there are companies that won’t come here because of it. It’s just a horrible, horrible law, and I’m sorry I voted for (Gov. Bryant).”

The Rev. Paul Southerland of Highland Baptist Church said, however, he is happy lawmakers are standing up for religious liberty.

“I think it’s great for the state of Mississippi,” he said. “I read every page of it … and basically, the government can’t come force you to do something that’s against your Christian conviction and morals.”

Southerland said he thinks the law is a direct reflection of the First Amendment, the Constitution and God’s teachings.

“If you are a committed Christian, and I am one, and my commitment is to the word of God … that gives you direction on what God is for and what God is against, this bill just reinforces what the Constitution says.”

For those who say they will not visit it or do business in Mississippi because of the law, Southerland said it’s their loss.

“Bless their hearts … they’ve missed out on one of the most beautiful states in the country,” he said.

Brodeur Gallery owner Kevin Brodeur, a gay man, said he has already received word of canceled trips to Natchez.

“It hurts Mississippi,” he said. “The whole thing is unfortunate, and it was a sad day for our state.”