Los Angeles – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today reaffirmed that California’s ban on state-funded travel by state employees to North Carolina remains in effect despite the passage of a purported repeal of HB 2, that state’s anti-LGBT law. North Carolina lawmakers last month passed HB 142, which was widely reported as revoking HB 2, but, in fact, leaves many of its key provisions in place.
Following passage of HB 2 last year, California passed AB 1887, authored by Asm. Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) and sponsored by Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. AB 1887 bans state-funded travel by state employees to North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi or any other state that passes a new law that discriminates against LGBT people.
“Attorney General Becerra today reaffirmed that California will not send its taxpayer dollars to any state that sanctions discrimination against LGBT people,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “HB 142 does not restore local non-discrimination ordinances passed before HB 2 and local governments are still prohibited from passing protections for their own LGBT citizens, including laws protecting restroom access for transgender people. That leaves LGBT people without equal protection under the law. We’re grateful to the attorney general for standing firm against discrimination.”
California joins a growing list of states and municipalities across the country that have announced that they will maintain their bans on official travel to North Carolina.
###
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well-being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org
