California Attorney General Rob Banta has taken a break from resolving the myriad of problems in the state to announce the addition of five states to the list of places banned from state-funded travel because of laws allegedly discriminating against members of the LGBTQ community.
Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta added Florida, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia to the list that now has 17 states where state employee travel is forbidden except under limited circumstances.“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 said.
What was the thought crime committed by the representatives in the state? Believing that surgically altered males should not compete against biological and self-identifying females in sports.
Lawmakers in 2016 banned non-essential travel to states with laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The 12 other states on the list are: Texas, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee.The five states newly added to the list have introduced bills in their legislatures this year that prevent transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, block access to health care and allow the discrimination of the LGBTQ community, Bonta said.Florida, Montana, Arkansas, and West Virginia passed laws that prevent transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
I suspect Florida’s political leaders are trembling now…with laughter as the state sees a record-breaking year of tourism.
Business in Southwest Florida is headed for a record-breaking year. Last month, tourism was up from the best year ever.From flights to hotels, people want to spend money in the region, boosting the local economy. Hotels are saying this year is like a never-ending season.People clearly want to be in Lee County and other parts of Southwest Florida, and the weather is one reason, but so is the fact Florida didn’t shut down as long as other states did during the pandemic.Florida set lots of tourism records in 2019, and the state is set to break them beyond anyone’s expectations.A beach vacation is a must for lots of people. It’s the sun, the sand and the chance to relax. But when the coronavirus hit in March 2020, almost all of that stopped.
The ads write themselves: Come to Florida for the beaches, stay for the normalcy.
Meanwhile, many Californians are questioning the regulatory priorities of Sacramento. If Washington DC is the “Great Swamp,” then Sacramento is the “Little Swamp.”
That other states haven’t banned state employee travel to California already means that their leaders have more important priorities than alienating their fellow Americans.
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