Almost from the moment that California’s lawmakers passed a law prohibiting state-sponsored travel to states that adopt anti-LGBTQ laws, it was clear that the ban was more problematic than productive.
The intention was to send a strong message to lawmakers in other states that California would not tolerate discriminatory laws targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and would choose to spend its public money elsewhere. But if the message was received, it certainly wasn’t heeded.
When the law went into effect in 2017, four states were on the prohibited travel list. There are now 23 states on the list, including Arizona, Texas, Georgia and Florida. With more than 450 bills filed so far this year that would enact discriminatory laws against LGBTQ people, the no-go roll is likely to grow — unless we dump the well-intended travel ban.
