California bans state sanctioned travel to anti-LGBT states
California has put a ban on state-sanctioned travel to US states which have enacted anti-LGBT laws since the 29th of June 2015.
The bill, which is sponsored by Equality California and the National Centre for Lesbian Rights sets out that the state should not be funding other states who discriminate against those in the LGBT community.
It prohibits any state employees who work for agencies, departments, boards or commissions from travelling to states with laws which discriminate.
The Assembly Bill 1887 states: “California must take action to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.”
North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kansas are all under fire with the bill as these states have laws which creates discriminations, or creates exemption under anti-discrimination and protection laws.
Assembly member Evan Low, who authored the legislation, said: “California has said clearly, our taxpayer dollars will not help fund bigotry and hatred.”
“If other states try and pass similar laws, we will work to stop them.
“Our zero-tolerance policy says there is no room for discrimination of any kind in California, and AB 1887 ensures that discrimination will not be tolerated beyond our borders,” he said.
The move comes to target states which promote prejudice, such as the North Carolina bathroom bill which stipulates that transgender people must use the toilet of the sex that they were assigned at birth.
It’s estimated that the boycotts, alongside other legal fees and pullouts, cost the state $395 million.
