Mayor Garcetti, City Council Enact Travel Ban To North Carolina, Mississippi
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —The Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday announced that LA will enact a nonessential travel ban on the states of North Carolina and Mississippi after those Southern states passed legislation many call anti-gay.
"I am proud to stand with the City Council today to enact a ban on non-essential travel for City employees to the States of North Carolina and Mississippi," said Garcetti. "In recent weeks, we have seen both of these states pass legislation that betray the basic rights to equal protection and self expression that all Americans are guaranteed by the Constitution. These bills are thinly veiled as actions to preserve religious freedom or protect against sexual violence, but will instead promote intolerance and discrimination against the LGBT community. With one stroke of their pen, Governor Pat McCrory and Governor Phil Bryant have jeopardized the safety and dignity of countless transgender, gay and lesbian people --- who are already at an increased risk for violent crime. As someone who has fought for many years on behalf of LGBT Americans and their right to equal protection under the law, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep L.A.'s tax dollars from supporting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
As some states pass these anti-gay laws, many businesses -- including many LA-based film companies, TV studios and internet firms have threatened to pull business from North Carolina and Mississippi. The NBA has officially pulled the 2017 All-Star game from North Carolina. PayPal announced plans to pull a planned expansion into the region. Several performers, including Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams, have canceled concerts in North Carolina and Mississippi, respectively.
"State-sanctioned discrimination only perpetuates intolerance, hatred and violence," said Councilman Mike Bonin, who authored the resolution adopted today. "That is not at all what Los Angeles stands for, and today, we are sending a clear message that we will not endorse - with our dollars or our participation - discrimination toward our transgender, gay, lesbian and bisexual sisters and brothers."
Garcetti will sign the council's resolution next week.