CALIFORNIA: Government Restricts Publicly Funded Travel To Four More States Over New Anti-LGBT Laws

The Sacramento Bee reports:

California is restricting publicly funded travel to four more states because of recent laws that leaders here view as discriminatory against gay and transgender people. All totaled, California now bans most state-funded travel to eight states.

The new additions to California’s restricted travel list are Texas, Alabama, Kentucky and South Dakota. They join Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee as states already subjected to the ban.

California Attorney Xavier Becerra announced the new states at a Thursday press conference, where he was joined by representatives from ACLU Northern California and Equality California. “We will not spend taxpayer dollars in states that discriminate,” Becerra said.

More from the San Jose Mercury News:



Three of the four new states recently moved to protect faith-based adoption or foster agencies who refuse to place children with certain families, such as same-sex couples. Another protects religious expression in schools, including provisions on student organizations that LGBT advocates argue could allow clubs to shun prospective members based on their gender identity.

Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, leads the California Legislative LGBT Caucus and wrote Assembly Bill 1887, which created the ban. He applauded Becerra’s decision. “AB 1887 was enacted to ensure our taxpayer dollars do not fund bigotry or hatred,” he said. “Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s action today sends a strong message that discrimination beyond our borders will not be tolerated.”