California Bans State Funded Travel to Anti-gay US States

Any anti-gay laws enacted in US states after 29 June 2015 will be subject to a complete ban.

From the start of this year, California has banned state-sanctioned travel to US states that have enacted anti-gay laws since 29 June 2015.

Assembly Bill 1887, sponsored by Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, states: ‘California must take action to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.’

The new law prohibits a state agency, department, board, or commission from requiring any state employees to travel to a state with laws discriminating against LGBTI people.

Currently, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kansas all have anti-gay laws that either discriminate against LGBTI people directly, creates an exemption to anti-discrimination law or voids existing protection laws.

Assembly member Evan Low authored the legislation: ‘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.

This move is a direct nod to North Carolina’s infamous HB2 ‘bathroom bill’, which was unsuccessful repealed at the end of last year.

North Carolina’s Governor-Elect, Roy Cooper, said: ‘we know that this is costing us and we’ve got to fix it.’

‘We want people of all kinds to be here.

‘We’re open for business and I’m going to keep working very hard to get this repealed,’ Cooper said.