HB2 replacement not enough: California keeps NC travel ban over ‘discriminatory laws’

Repealing and replacing House Bill 2 wasn’t enough for California.

The Golden State is keeping its travel ban against the Tar Heel State.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday that California would continue to prohibit state-funded and state-sponsored travel to North Carolina “based on that state’s discriminatory laws.”

While North Carolina Republican leadership and Gov. Roy Cooper compromised on a repeal and replacement of House Bill 2, also known as the controversial “bathroom bill,” the replacement still bans “ state and local entities, including universities, from prohibiting discrimination in public restrooms and changing facilities. It also prevents local jurisdictions from enacting ordinances to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in public accommodations or private employment,” according to Becerra’s news release Wednesday.

“California is inclusive. We take pride in protecting the rights of all our people,” Becerra said. “Discrimination is unacceptable and we intend to protect LBGT rights. California's law was enacted to ensure that, with limited exceptions, our taxpayer resources are not spent in states that authorize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. North Carolina's new law does not cure the infirmity of this type of discrimination.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 8:09 PM with the headline "HB2 replacement not enough: California keeps NC travel ban over ‘discriminatory laws’."