California travel ban: Florida joins Alabama, 15 other states banned due to anti-LGBTQ laws – AL.com

Five more states, including Florida, have been added to the list of places where state-funded travel is banned due to anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia would be added to the list of places where state employee travel is prohibited except under certain circumstances. Travel to Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas was banned in 2016.

“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.

The states added to the list are considering or have passed bills that would prevent transgender women and girls from participating in school sports based on gender identity, as well as others that limit LGBTQ healthcare or access to some publicly funded organizations. Alabama was added to the list after it passed a law allowing adoption agencies in the state to follow faith-based policies, including the option not to place children with gay couples.

California’s law AB 1887 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017. According to the law, the travel ban will continue “while any such law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression remains in effect.”