California Bans State-Sponsored Travel To Oklahoma Due To LGBTQ Law

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Friday state-funded travel to Oklahoma will be banned, starting June 22.

The announcement came after Oklahoma adopted the new LGBTQ laws including denial of placement services to same-sex parents, which California finds discriminatory. According to Oklahoma's newly adopted policy, which was supported by bishops, foster agencies and private adoption could deny placements based on religious or moral grounds.

"California will not use state resources to support states that pass discriminatory laws. The law enacted in Oklahoma allows discrimination against LGBTQ children and aspiring LGBTQ parents who must navigate the adoption process,” Becerra said, stating this was California taxpayers stand against bigotry, reported San Francisco Chronicle.

States like Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota and Texas that allow discrimination based on sexual or gender orientation were already listed in the state-sponsored travel ban by a California law passed last year.

The law prohibited public employees from traveling to the banned states for work-related purposes. But it can be overruled if they are required to travel by a court, such as to investigate a crime.

The state continues to send their athletic teams to the banned states for National Collegiate Athletic Association and other post- season events. Athletic teams were sent to Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas even after the states were banned by law in 2017, reported Newsok.

However, Albany men's basketball team were not allowed to go to Duke for a match because of the law.

The University of California’s football team is scheduled to play at Oklahoma in September. Becerra was asked to issue a formal opinion on whether the law applies to college sports by California state assemblyman Matt Harper.

An Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau official said it could be too soon to tell and she was unaware of tickets being cancelled because of the dispute, reported the Sacramento Bee.

Sandy Price, vice president of tourism sales, also said she has not seen any affect till now.

“I’d hate for there to be a downturn because of this,” she added.

“We opposed the legislation, as we oppose all discriminatory legislation, one of the reasons we opposed it is for this reason (the California ban) right here,” Vice President of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Cynthia Reid said, stating the ban would have marginal impact on conference involving California state employees.

Rick Zbur, the executive director of Equality California, a gay civil rights organization said, “Every child deserves a loving, supportive family, and it’s neither pro-child, nor pro-family, for Oklahoma to deny them one.”

“California taxpayers won’t subsidize Oklahoma’s — or any state’s — discriminatory policies,” he added.