Philadelphia – Mayor Jim Kenney and the Office of LGBT Affairs today provided the following statements in regard to issuing a non-essential travel ban to North Carolina and Mississippi for City employees.
Mayor Kenney said: “Discriminatory legislation, like those signed into law in North Carolina and Mississippi, is antithetical to our country’s core democratic values. By issuing a non-essential travel ban to those states, we take a stand against bigotry and prejudice happening in those states, and in cities and states nationwide. I will continue to actively welcome any and all people, businesses, organizations, and events who no longer feel welcome in their state because of these discriminatory laws. You will always be welcome in Philadelphia”
Helen Fitzpatrick, Office of LGBT Affairs Director, said: “The travel ban Mayor Kenney enacted yesterday is a powerful way for Philadelphia to stand in solidarity with, and advocate for, the LGBT folks and their allies living in cities and states passing discriminatory and dangerous legislation. We are not abandoning or punishing these fellow Americans, but using every method we can to communicate to the legislators charged with representing them that this biased, un-American legislation must go. We will continue to work to empower and protect all Philadelphians and use all means at our disposal to encourage other cities and states to do the same. Banning all non-essential city-funded travel by city employees demonstrates that the City of Philadelphia remains true to our founding principles of love and acceptance for all people.”
The following directive was issued to all City of Philadelphia employees on April 20.
MAYOR’S STATEMENT BANNING CITY EMPLOYEE TRAVEL TO NORTH CAROLINA & MISSISSIPPI
Effective immediately, I am directing all City Departments to prohibit all travel to the States of North Carolina & Mississippi by City employees for purposes of official business. The ban will include any publicly-funded travel by City employees to North Carolina & Mississippi {unless such travel is pre-approved by the Managing Director as essential to public health and safety}. I am announcing this ban in response to the States of North Carolina & Mississippi’s enactment of legislation that infringes the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. I will reconsider this ban if and when North Carolina & Mississippi choose to repeal their discriminatory legislation.
This directive follows recent significant actions taken by the City in support of equality for LGBT individuals, families and businesses. The city recently supported Governor Tom Wolf’s passage of two anti-discrimination executive orders and continues to advocate for the passage of non-discrimination legislation by the PA General Assembly.
Further, Mayor Kenney joined the Mayor’s Against Discrimination Coalition. Initiated by San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, the coalition will use their collective influence of mayors and cities to oppose discriminatory practices throughout the United States and work together to examine prohibitions on contracting and purchasing from companies in these states, develop model resolutions that can be adopted by city councils and other legislative bodies, and other measures that Mayors and cities can take individually and collectively.