Homosexuals and LGBT activists in San Francisco are not fans of recent legislation signed into law in North Carolina and Mississippi that they believe “discriminates” against homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people.
In an effort to apply pressure on both states, Mayor Ed Lee issued an executive order earlier this month banning all official travel—except in emergencies—to both states. Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors built off of that order with a proposed ordinance of its own.
Supervisor Scott Wiener proposed the legislation to prohibit the city from entering into contracts with companies based in states that “bar civil-rights protections” for LGBT people. According to the San Francisco Gate newspaper, the business that will suffer the most is Bank of America—which was formerly headquartered in San Francisco—that has a multimillion-dollar contract with the city to provide depository and payroll services that expires in 2018.
“By banning the use of taxpayer dollars in these states, we can set an example for other jurisdictions and build momentum to put an end to this nonsense,” Wiener told the newspaper. “Our LGBT community does not deserve to be attacked like this.”
Wiener’s bill would not force the city to break its contract with Bank of America, or any other North Carolina- or Mississippi-based company. Rather, it prevents the city from entering into new contracts with any business based in those states.
