California AG Bonta Adds 4 States to Gender Law Travel Ban

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 17, 2021. Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

California Attorney Gen. Robert Bonta on June 30 banned travel by employees using state funds to four additional states because, he said, they prohibit men from competing in women’s sports.

The new states under the ban—which applies to employees of state agencies, departments, boards, authorities, commissions, the California State University, and the University of California and its Board of Regents—are Indiana and Utah on July 1, Louisiana on Aug. 1, and Arizona on Sept. 28.

The ban is already in place for 20 other states.

“Make no mistake,” Bonta said in a release. “There is a coordinated, ongoing attack on transgender rights happening right now all across the country. Blanket legislation targeting transgender children is a ‘solution’ in search of a problem. It is detached from reality and directly undermines the well-being of our LGBTQ+ community.”

This year Arizona passed two laws signed on March 30 by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. Senate Bill 1138 bans doctors or others in health care from providing “gender transition procedures” to anyone under 18 years old.

Ducey said the law does not prohibit the use of puberty-blocking hormones or any other similar therapy, and it will not require children to discontinue using any such prescriptions they are taking.

“S.B. 1138 delays any irreversible gender reassignment surgery until the age of 18,” he said in a letter (pdf). “The reason is simple, and common sense—this is a decision that will dramatically affect the rest of an individual’s life, including the ability of that individual to become a biological parent later in life.”

Senate Bill 1165’s language bans anyone of “the male sex” from competing in sports “designated for ‘females,’ ‘women,’ or ‘girls.’”

In Indiana, the Legislature overrode the governor’s veto of House Bill 1041, which prevents biological males from participating in girls’ or women’s interscholastic sports. The bill became law March 27.

Louisiana passed Senate Bill 44, which became law June 6 without Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature. It prohibits biological males from participating in female sports.

Utah passed House Bill 11 March 22, overriding a veto by Gov. Spencer Cox, also a Republican. The bill also prohibits biological males from joining female sports activities.

“I feel very comfortable with the choice California’s AG made,” Utah State Rep. Kera Birkeland, a Republican and sponsor of Utah’s House Bill 11, told The Epoch Times. “This is not a loss for Utah, but a loss for California as Utah has a lot it can teach California.”

The other states already banned by California include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Bonta said California’s Assembly Bill 1887 prohibits state-sponsored support or financing of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, regardless of age.

The travel ban applies to state agencies, departments, boards, authorities, commissions, California State University, and the University of California and its Board of Regents.

However, the state allows travel to the banned states under several circumstances. These include enforcing California law, litigation, meeting contractual obligations agreed to before 2017, and complying with federal government requests to appear before committees.

State employees and representatives also can participate in meetings or training for grant funding, job training, and health, welfare, or safety.