Olympia – Gov. Jay Inslee has issued a new memo to ban nonessential state-funded travel to North Carolina because he said that the state’s repeal of its so-called “bathroom bill” is still allowing discrimination against gay, lesbian or transgender people.
Inslee’s memo, signed Thursday, notes that the governor’s original ban from last year expired following the repeal of a law that prohibited cities and counties from passing measures protecting people based on sexual orientation and gender identity when they use public accommodations. The law was spurred by a Charlotte, N.C., ordinance that allowed transgender people to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Inslee said North Carolina’s replacement legislation continues to pre-empt nondiscriminatory ordinances passed by local governments and clarified that sexual orientation and identity are not protected classes.
