California Repeals Travel Ban to States With Anti-LGBT Laws

One advocacy nonprofit called the ban a 'nationwide marketing campaign to promote LGBTQ+ ideology in red states'

Parents, community members, and activists gather at a Glendale Unified School board meeting to protest district policies on LGBT content in schools in Glendale, Calif., on June 20, 2023. Courtesy of Hasmik Bezirdzhyan

California lawmakers have passed a bill that will lift a law banning publicly funded travel to states that had implemented measures against the LGBT agenda.

Senate Bill 447 would repeal a 2016 law, Assembly Bill 1887, which prohibited California state agencies from sponsoring travel for employees into states deemed to have anti-LGBT laws. SB 447 replaces Assembly Bill 1887 with an outreach campaign that seeks to boost LGBT inclusivity and acceptance in states identified as having allegedly discriminatory laws. The bill was passed by the state Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 31-6. It was earlier passed by the state Assembly on Monday by 64-12.