California has banned state-funded travel to five more states over their latest anti-trans legislation, the New York Times reports.
State attorney general Rob Bonta announced on Monday, June 28, that Florida, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia were being added to the list of states where California state employees will not be permitted to travel for work.
The move was motivated by an aim to tackle transphobia as the five states launch "a coordinated attack on fundamental civil rights."
Florida, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia are among the growing number of states to pass anti-trans bills, which prevent transgender children from taking part in school sports.
With the new additions, 17 states in total have been added to California's state travel ban, which Bonta declared was "about aligning our dollars with our values."
The other 12 states on the list include Texas, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
"Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country - and the State of California is not going to support it," Bonta added, per Fox 13 News.
These lawmakers "would rather demonize trans youth than focus on solving real issues like tackling gun violence beating back this pandemic and rebuilding our economy," he continued.
The travel ban was first enacted in 2016 as a direct response to legislation, passed in states such as North Carolina, that prevented transgender people from using bathrooms that matched their gender identity.
Essentially, the aim is to bring an end to state-funded travel to states with laws that discriminate against people on the basis of sex, gender identity, or sexuality.
California lawmakers have openly stated that the move is "largely symbolic" but maintain that the intention behind it is to protect state workers from being sent to states where they could face discrimination.
"Is this more symbolic than actually an economic driving force? Most certainly so," Evan Low, who co-sponsored the bill, told the New York Times in 2017.
"But it allows the conversation to continue to occur to say, 'Wow, these states really don’t value the basic, fundamental rights of all of its citizens?'"
