California bans state-funded travel to 5 states due to anti-LGBTQ laws

State of play: California employees are now unable to pursue state-funded travel to Florida, North Dakota, Montana, West Virginia and Arkansas, Bonta said.

• Florida, Arkansas, Montana, and West Virginia passed laws this year barring trans women and girls from participating in school sports that affirm their gender identity.
• North Dakota signed into law legislation that would allow some publicly funded student organizations to prohibit LGBTQ students from joining without consequence.
• Arkansas also passed the first law in the nation to bar physicians from providing gender-affirming health care to trans minors.
• California's ban does have some exemptions, such as travel related to enforcement of California law or contracts.

What they're saying: "Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country — and the State of California is not going to support it," Bonta said.

The big picture: Lawmakers first banned non-essential state employee travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws in 2016, AP reports.

• The 12 other states on the list are: Texas, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Go deeper: Which states have banned trans youth in sports