On Tuesday, independent Council member David Grosso tabled a bill which would legally block city-funded travel to those states which have laws which discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Such a move would follow on from a ban already put in place by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser against official city travel to North Carolina in the wake of the new 'HB2' law passed there which excludes LGBT individuals from anti-discrimination protections and makes it illegal for transgender and gender-diverse people to choose which restroom they wish to use in public spaces if it deviates from the sex they were assigned on their birth certificates.
Mississippi would likely also fall victim to the travel ban should DC lawmakers extend it other states with discriminatory laws after passing legislation last week which allows religious groups and private businesses to refuse service to LGBT individuals and families.
Washington DC is just one of a suite of cities which have voiced their opposition to North Carolina's new laws by suspending official travel to the state, joining San Francisco, Seattle, New York City as well as the states of Vermont and Minnesota. The passing of HB2 has also prompted payment processing giant PayPal to pull the plug on its plans to bring 400 new skilled jobs to the state by opening a new global operations centre in Charlotte, NC.
Sources: Washington Times; The Advocate; Ars Technica
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