The number of US states to which San Francisco will pay for travel shrank again today, after Mayor Ed Lee banned all city-funded travel to the state of Mississippi after their governor OKed a law allowing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Mississippi's so-called “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" "allows government employees to refuse to issue marriage licenses or perform marriage ceremonies and permits businesses and faith-based groups to deny housing, jobs and adoption and foster-care services to people based on their sexual orientation" and also allow doctors to "'decline to participate in the provision' of sex reassignment procedures, psychological counseling or fertility services."the LA Times reports.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed off on the law Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee had condemned the legislation, saying in a statement that "The action taken today by the Mississippi Governor undermines all of our civil liberties, and we must stand up, once again, and call out discrimination when we see it."
"Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of Mississippi that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety, adding to our current ban of City-funded travel to the State of North Carolina," which Lee announced on March 25.
"San Francisco taxpayers will not subsidize legally-sanctioned hate and bigotry against any person or group, especially our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Mississippi or any other state," Lee said in his statement. "I am already in discussions with other mayors around the country to consider how our cities can work together to apply even greater economic and political pressure to repeal or stop discriminatory laws in states like North Carolina and Mississippi."
Here's the full statement:
“Enough is enough. I believe strongly that we should add more protections to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in the United States, not diminish them and deny people their constitutional rights.
The action taken today by the Mississippi Governor undermines all of our civil liberties, and we must stand up, once again, and call out discrimination when we see it.
Again, San Francisco taxpayers will not subsidize legally-sanctioned hate and bigotry against any person or group, especially our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Mississippi or any other state. Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of Mississippi that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety, adding to our current ban of City-funded travel to the State of North Carolina.
I am already in discussions with other mayors around the country to consider how our cities can work together to apply even greater economic and political pressure to repeal or stop discriminatory laws in states like North Carolina and Mississippi.”
Previously: In Wake Of Anti-LGBT Law Passage, Mayor Ed Lee Bans City-Funded Travel To North Carolina