Our governor (yes, the Minnesotans said a year residency was long enough to claim him as my own) recently announced a travel ban to North Carolina for state employees in light of the state’s anti-anti-discrimination bill. The bill overrides and forbids local anti-discrimination policies in the Tar Heel State. In a statement, Gov. Mark Dayton said:
“I have instructed employees in all state agencies to refrain from traveling to North Carolina for conferences or other official state business, until the North Carolina Governor and State Legislature repeal the discriminatory law they enacted last week.”
The bill is specifically targeted at LGBT people, especially transgender individuals, as it overturns a Charlotte ordinance allowing trans people to use the restroom matching their gender identification.
For my part, I will continue to refrain from traveling to North Carolina as well. I’ve held out these 25 years, and I’m happy not to spend my tourism dollars in the state until it retracts this regressive legislation.
It’s a pity, because North Carolina is on the short list of states I need to visit before I’ve seen all 50. (I looked at a map last night — I’ve got 13 states remaining.) I guess I’ll have to prioritize Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island and the like for now.
I hear North Carolina is nice, but I support anyone refusing to see for themselves until the state promises to be nice to everyone.
Timothy Pate 
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