Kenney bans travel to two states over LGBT laws

Mayor Jim Kenney on Wednesday notified Philadelphia city employees that his administration has banned all nonessential publicly funded travel to North Carolina and Mississippi.

A Kenney spokesperson told NBC10 that the ban was put in place because of recently enacted, controversial laws in those states that target LGBT rights and protections.

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“I will reconsider this ban if and when North Carolina and Mississippi choose to repeal their discriminatory legislation,” Kenney’s notification was quoted by Philly.com.

The Mississippi legislation, scheduled to take effect this summer, will allow the denial of services to members of the LGBT community based on religious beliefs, according to NBC10.

The recent North Carolina law that has drawn national attention was a rights bill passed last month that requires transgender individuals to use bathrooms based on the gender on their birth certificates, Philly.com stated.

“I’m proud to count myself among the coalition of mayors taking a stand against discriminatory policies targeting LGBT individuals and families,” a statement from Kenney was quoted by NBC10.

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Earlier this month, both New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the city council in Los Angeles enacted similar policies in response to the new laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, according to Philly.com.