California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in a press release Friday that the state will restrict state-funded travel to Missouri, along with Nebraska and Wyoming, as a result of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation that has been recently enacted in each state.
Bonta pointed to two bills signed into Missouri law last month, Senate bills 39 and 49.
SB 39 prohibits public school districts from allowing transgender individuals to compete in any athletic competition that is consistent with their gender identity. It also requires withholding of all state funding for non-compliance.
SB 49 restricts gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, including surgeries, puberty blockers or hormones.
"These new laws enacted by Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming aren’t just discriminatory, they constitute a clear case of government overreach — and it's an alarming trend we're witnessing across the country," Bonta said in a news release. "By preventing transgender individuals from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, or by denying them access to critical healthcare, these legislative actions directly contradict the values of inclusivity and diversity. These laws pose significant risks for deepening the stigmatization and alienation of LGBTQ+ youth who are already subject to pervasive discrimination, bullying, and hate crimes."
Bonta said Missouri's newly-signed laws go against California's policy to "avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender Americans."
"The [California] law prohibits state agencies, departments, boards, or commissions from authorizing state-funded travel to a state that — after June 26, 2015 — has enacted a law authorizing, or repealing existing protections against, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression," the release said.
Missouri will be added to California's travel restricted list when these new laws become effective on Aug. 28.