Los Angeles County will prohibit travel on official business to Texas and Florida as a response to the contentious LGBTQ laws in those two states. Business travel means any travel type that the County would usually fund, as per the LAC Board of Supervisors that voted unanimously to approve the motion.
The Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Hilda Solis, stated that the board realizes that there is a lot of homophobia that necessitates more action.
In March 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed the bill ‘Parental Rights in Education, which some have described as the anti-gay bill. The bill does the following.
- Bans classroom discussion regarding gender identity or sexual orientation in some grade levels
- Necessitates school districts in Florida to inform parents about healthcare services
- Provides for a further grant of reasonable lawyer fees and court costs, damages, and injunctive relief to some parents
- Authorizes parents to take action against a school district for declaratory judgment
LAC Board of Supervisors member Janice Hahn stated that the bill’s idea of looking into gender-affirming surgery in the form of child abuse detracts from what that form of abuse is.
The ban on business travel will apply to Texas since Lieutenant Governor of the state Dan Patrick favored the bill in Florida. Patrick stated that he would also implement a similar bill and make it a prime concern in a future legislative session.
Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Solis presented the ban in the county. Solis stated that it might be lifted should the Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles Cunty believe that the ban would seriously damage the interests of the county.
As for Kuehl, Florida’s law would make the culture of secrecy, bullying, fear, and shame perpetual. Kuehl added that it is only a position that the board takes and that it would not pay for going to the two states. As per Kuehl, the ban also sends the message that LAC will not back that egregious behavior.