SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a state Capitol dominated by Democrats, where expanding LGBTQ rights is a pillar of the agenda, an announcement Wednesday from one of the most powerful lawmakers came as something of a shock:
Senate leader Toni Atkins — a San Diego Democrat who has blazed trails as a lesbian lawmaker and the first woman to lead both houses of the Legislature — said she wants California to repeal its ban on government-funded travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws.
Atkins has introduced legislation to repeal the law she and her colleagues passed in 2016 with the encouragement of major gay-rights groups, who argued that an economic boycott by the state would "ensure that California tax dollars do not help finance discrimination beyond our borders."
