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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

California Bans Students From Traveling To ‘Anti-LGBT’ States




By Jason Chulack
22 Feb 2017, 10:07 AM

California has created a travel ban of its own, which prohibits its own public university students from traveling to “anti-LGBT” states.

The law that went into effect Jan. 1 prohibits state-funded travel to states that are not LGBT-friendly, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Thelawprevents students of the University of California and California State University from traveling to four states outlined by California attorney general Xavier Becerra, including Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee.

The California State University intends to follow this new state law, a university spokesperson tells The Daily Caller.

“Inclusivity and diversity are fundamental values of the California State University. California State University wants students to participate in opportunities that support and further their academic success and the university will follow the law. CSU will encourage students to seek opportunities in states where travel is not prohibited,” California State University told TheDC.

The new law’s effects were felt by students at UC Davis, who planned on attending an undergraduate research conference in Tennessee. The new law prevented the students from attending because UC Davis was going to pay for them to go.

More than 100 Californians were chosen to be a part of the Council on Undergraduate Research Conference at the University of Memphis in April, but those who attend public universities will not receive funding to go.

UC Davis students who were supposed to attend the conference responded to the new law.

“I don’t want any funding on my behalf from the state, my parents or grandparents to go to a state like Tennessee that discriminates against LGBT people,” senior Acacia Keith told the Los Angeles Times.

Senior Mark Rivera offered a different take on the situation.

“Instead of discouraging travel to supposedly backward places, we should encourage travel; otherwise, campuses will become more insular and make the problem worse,” Rivera told the Los Angeles Times.

There are exceptions to the law however, which allow travel to these states if it was contracted before Jan. 1.

UCLA’s football team is scheduled to play Memphis in September and Cal State Long Beach baseball will play North Carolina in March. After these visits, the universities will no longer be able to play games in these states.

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