[ad_1]
Nearly a third of the country will soon be closed to California government officials if they can travel against the taxpayer unless their travel is deemed essential, e.g. The August travel restriction applies to 17 states that have passed anti-LGBTQ laws since 2015.
On Monday, June 28, on the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall riots that sparked the modern LGBTQ movement, Attorney General Rob Bonta added Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia to the no-fly list Golden State. Four of the states passed all laws specifically aimed at transgender youth athletes, while North Dakota removed protection for LGBTQ university students.
Florida and Montana travel restrictions go into effect July 1st and become official for West Virginia on July 8th. The ban for Arkansas goes into effect July 29 and North Dakota August 1.
She was expected to be on the travel ban list, Bonta’s office told the Bay Area reporter at the beginning of Pride Month that it “would like to continue to implement AB 1887 and crack down on LGBTQ + discrimination.”
Bonta was one of the members of the State Assembly that passed Act 1887 in 2015 that banned government-funded travel to states that discriminate against LGBTQ people. Written by Gay MP Evan Low (D-Campbell) and signed by former Governor Jerry Brown, the travel restriction applies to government employees, academics and college sports teams at public universities.
“It’s heartbreaking, really heartbreaking to see the list expand,” Low told the BAR, adding that he “had no pleasure” attending press conferences like Monday’s. “This is about a statement of values.”
Bonta announced the addition of the prohibited travel list at the GLBT Historical Society Museum in the heart of San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood, Castro, and called the quintet of states’ passage of anti-LGBTQ laws “part of a recent dangerous wave” of such bills this year Introduced in statehouses across the country.
By June, more than 250 anti-LGBT laws had been introduced into state legislatures, at least 95 of which specifically targeted the rights of “transgender Americans,” said Bonta, who found his announcement against the date of the uprising The police harassment coincided with the guests of the Manhattan gay bar. Their actions sparked the broader struggle for LGBTQ rights in America.
“This fight stays alive in this country,” said Bonta.
Bonta was joined by Ryland Whittington, 13, an eighth grade transgender athlete, and his mother, Hillary Whittington, who lives in San Diego. Ryland, an ice hockey player who said he missed his water polo practice to attend the San Francisco press conference, said his “being transgender is only a small part of who I am”.
Grateful that he was never told he couldn’t play on a sports team in his hometown, Ryland said he also knew that he was “lucky enough to live in California. I’m lucky enough to have friends and family who do.” support me.”
Speaking to lawmakers who support laws that restrict students like him from only participating in sports teams based on the gender they were assigned at birth, Ryland said he and other trans youth “just want the same rights as everyone else . “
Gay State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has whipped his co-legislators, mostly Republicans, who draft and support such laws, and the Republican political advisors who advise them to do so.
“It’s outrageous,” said Wiener. “These are just kids trying to live their lives.”
Two of the most popular states for groups to hold their gatherings and sports competitions – Texas and Florida – will now be on California’s travel ban list. State officials and college sports teams have found ways to circumvent the travel ban by having alumni clubs or other groups pay their travel expenses for attending sports games or conferences in the banned states.
Government officials can take time off in the forbidden states to attend conferences or other events, but must pay for their travel there and other related expenses out of their own pocket. Low told the BAR that not only did he have to decline to attend events in the states on the list, but he also used social media to solicit other attendees to cancel, such as a tech conference in Austin a few years ago , Texas.
“This is about values and the implications of having such a conversation,” said Low, who noted that the Travel Ban Act also protects government workers from being sent to states where they could be discriminated against.
Just as her own family is now avoiding travel to the prohibited states, Hillary Whittington told the BAR that she hoped other Californians, whether they work for the state or not, will refuse to go to those states as well until they get their anti-LGBTQ laws.
“I have a feeling we should all follow suit,” she said. “I would like to see all Americans restrict their travel from these places.”
Plea for the Equal Opportunities Act
Whittington also called on the U.S. Senate to pass the Equality Act, a comprehensive federal bill on LGBTQ rights that was passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it, but it remains stuck in the Senate due to Republican opposition. The only hope of getting passed is if 10 GOP senators team up with the Democrats to overturn a filibuster of the law, or if the Democrats get rid of the filibuster; most observers do not see either.
“We need the equality law passed,” said Whittington. “It’s crazy that we’re looking at this in 2021.”
When other state governors enact anti-LGBTQ laws, it is up to the California Attorney General’s office to review them to see if this results in those states being placed on the no-fly list. Currently, the 12 states on the California list are Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas.
West Virginia is added because Governor Jim Justice, a Republican, signed House Bill 3293 in late April, banning transgender girls and women from participating in exercise at the primary, secondary, or post-secondary level consistent with their gender identity . Government-funded travel to Florida will be banned as Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a similar bill on June 1.
Montana joins the list because Governor Greg Gianforte (R) also put a trans-youth sports ban in place in May. In April, he had also signed Senate Law 215, alleged by LGBTQ advocates to be a sweeping religious denial law license to discriminate against Montans and visitors, including LGBTQ people, fellow believers and women, across a multitude of goods and services of the state.
North Dakota’s inclusion is due to Governor Doug Burgum (R) signing House Bill 1503 on April 19, which allows student groups in colleges, universities and high schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students. Arkansas joins the list after Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) signed Senate Bill 354 on March 25, banning transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity.
He also enacted SB 289, which allows medical providers to refuse care to LGBTQ people, and House Bill 1570, the first law in the nation to prohibit doctors from providing gender-based health care to transgender minors, whether or not their parents wish this or whether such care is provided is considered medically necessary.
The San Francisco City Administrator’s Office maintains a similar list banning taxpayer-funded travel for non-essential travel to states that have passed anti-LGBTQ laws since 2015. It also prohibits city authorities from entering into contracts with companies in these states.
The city also now bans its employees from using taxpayer dollars to travel to states that restrict access to abortion services. There are now 24 states on San Francisco’s list, with Montana expected to be the 25th state to be added to the list.
Due to restrictive abortion guidelines, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and West Virginia have been on San Francisco’s travel ban list since January 1, 2020. You should now be given a double asterisk to indicate that every state has both anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ laws.
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going through these troubled times. To support local, independent LGBTQ journalism, you should become a BAR member.
[ad_2]
