In 2016, California had drawn up a list of states that were banned for non-essential travel by state employees. Recently five more states have been added to the list as the states have introduced bills that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ communities. California has prided itself on its inclusivity and its non-discriminatory policies as well as its gun enforcement laws.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said that the country was in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination and the state of California would not support it.
Bonta also said that the lawmakers in many of those states would rather demonize trans youth than focus on real issues some of which were dealing with gun violence, working towards beating the pandemic and rebuilding the economy of the nation.
The Attorney General’s office called the laws “dangerous” and said that these new laws directly worked to ban transgender youth from playing sport. They also blocked access to life-saving care. The laws limited the rights of the LGBTQ+ community
The seventeen states that are in the banned list for their discriminatory policies are
- Florida
- Arkansas
- Montana
- North Dakota
- West Virginia
- Texas
- Alabama
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- North Carolina
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
These states have laws or are ready to pass laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer) communities.
According to California AG’s office , Assembly Bill 1887 “prohibits the state from requiring employees to travel to a state subject to AB 1887’s travel prohibition. It also “prohibits California from approving a request for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to such a state. This bill does not apply for travel due to personal reasons.
California allows some travel exemptions including travel needed to enforce California law as well to honor contracts that had been signed before these states became a part of the banned list.
