Over the last 24 hours, mayors and councilmembers of major U.S. cities have reaffirmed their bans on taxpayer funded travel to North Carolina in light of the sham “deal” on HB2 announced last Wednesday. These statements come as the NCAA weighs whether to reinstate future championship games in North Carolina, and as major national and state based civil rights groups have called on the NCAA to continue standing with LGBTQ people and others targeted by HB2 for full repeal of its dangerous provisions.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti: “Every American deserves to live free of discrimination, and the law signed last week by Governor Cooper does nothing to protect the rights and dignity of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Cities should have every opportunity to make policies that affirm values of equal justice, protect people from hate and bias, and uphold the Constitutional right to self-determination. Until that is made real in North Carolina, I urge the City Council to extend L.A.’s ban on non-essential travel to the state by City employees. I would sign that ban right away, and will continue doing everything in my power to make sure that Angelenos’ tax dollars are never spent to support bigotry based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Santa Fe Mayor Javier González: “Cities are closer to the people they serve than any other form of government, giving us both the ability and the duty to hear and take real action on their concerns — especially when they involve safety. In Santa Fe, we stood up to ensure that every individual, regardless of their gender identity, will feel safe here. North Carolina shouldn’t stand in the way of their cities who want to do thes ame, and until they make it right we have no intention of changing the ban on non-essential travel that is our current policy.”
Cincinnati City Councilmember Chris Seelbach:
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski:
