NEW YORK CITY: Mayor Announces “Non-Essential” North Carolina Travel Ban For City Employees

And for Georgia too, should today’s veto be overridden. Capital New York reports:

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he is instituting a ban on “non-essential travel” by New York City employees to the state of North Carolina following the passage of a law there that overturns anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

De Blasio said he would also order a similar ban on non-essential travel to Georgia if the state’s Legislature votes to override a veto by Gov. Nathan Deal of a bill seen by some as allowing discrimination against gay and lesbian people in Georgia.

“Yes, we’ve initiated a non-essential travel ban for North Carolina as of today, and in the event that the governor’s veto in Georgia is overridden, we will do so for Georgia as well,” de Blasio said Monday afternoon at an unrelated press conference.

Also banning travel “non-essential” travel to North Carolina today is openly gay Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Both of today’s actions follow a similar move made this weekend by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

UPDATE: US Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) is grateful. She writes:

“It’s appalling that in 2016 North Carolinians are still fighting for basic human rights. HB2 legalizes discrimination and strips away simple guarantees of equal treatment from the LGBT community. I’m proud New York City’s Mayor Bill deBlasio, San Francisco’s Mayor Ed Lee, organizations and corporations in North Carolina and across the country have denounced this blatant act of discrimination. North Carolina’s Governor and the Republican controlled legislature would rather put our local economy at risk than grant law abiding citizens equal rights. We should be working together to move our state and our nation forward, not taking steps back. I will continue to stand with Charlotte and the LGBT community in the continued fight for equality in our state.”