NY Governor Bans State-Sponsored Travel to Mississippi Over Anti-LGBT Law

By Diana Robinson (Governor Andrew Cuomo) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By Diana Robinson (Governor Andrew Cuomo) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Governor Andrew Cuomo has suspended state-sponsored travel to Mississippi after the passing of religious bill that allows for discrimination against LGBTs.

In recent U.S. news and politics involving religious and freedom laws, the state of Mississippi has been receiving a lot of condemnation for a recent law that was passed which is anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender). The law is termed as HB1523 and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant passed the HB1523 law which is as good as a ‘license to discriminate bill’ as it goes against the legal rights of the people belonging to the LGBT community.

NY Governor Bans State-Sponsored Travel to Mississippi Over Anti-LGBT Law[/tweetthis]

This law comes under the Religious Accommodation Act of Mississippi and was received with a lot of opposition from the public especially the LGBT community and lawyers and advocates from all U.S. states.

The law grants permission to religious groups and business in the state of Mississippi to deny the rendering of services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community if they feel that it violates their religious beliefs and sanctities.

In response to the passing of this extreme law by the Mississippi State Governor, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo put a full ban on ‘non-essential’ travels to the state of Mississippi that are funded by the state of New York. He is the first governor in any U.S. state to have carried out such as harsh decision.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo doesn’t believe the legality of the passing of the HB1523 anti-LGBT law as he feels it is highly discriminatory to all U.S. citizens and does not conform to the values and beliefs of diversity, freedom and indiscrimination of the United States of America.

He believes that the law is ‘a sad, hateful injustice against the LGBT community’ and will not allow any non-essential or non-urgent official travel to the state of Mississippi until the law is repealed. Governor Cuomo has informed all commissions, boards, departments and agencies of the New York State government to carefully scrutinize and review all state-funded travel requests to Mississippi and prohibit state-sponsored travel that they feel is not required or is not essential in the interest of enforcement of state law and public safety and health. 

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