California expands travel ban to more anti-LGBT states — even as top Democrat tries to end it

California has now officially banned state-funded travel to more than half of the country — even as a top Democratic leader is trying to put an end to the prohibition.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that California was adding Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming to the list of states where official travel is banned, bringing to the total to 26. Bonta said the additions were a result of recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the three states.

“These new laws enacted by Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming aren’t just discriminatory, they constitute a clear case of government overreach,” Bonta said in a statement. “It’s an alarming trend we’re witnessing across the country.”

State leaders added Missouri and Wyoming because of new laws that prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Nebraska made the list because of the “Let Them Grow Act,” which would bar health care providers from providing gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 19.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom was criticized for taking a family trip to Montana — another state on the list — to visit First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s parents.

The travel ban additions come at a peculiar time, as a bill to repeal the ban is making its way through the Legislature. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, authored Senate Bill 447 to lift the state restrictions.

Atkins, who identifies as a lesbian, argues the ban is well-intentioned but has resulted in unintended consequences. Her bill would end the travel ban and create a program for inclusive LGBT messaging in other states.

Atkins has recounted her own struggle to find acceptance and tolerance while growing up in rural southwestern Virginia. She believes banning California travel to discriminatory states further isolates LGBT community members living there.

On Friday, she posted on Twitter about the expanded ban and lobbied for her bill, which is currently awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“We need a new approach,” Atkins said. “My #SB447 would create the BRIDGE Project to open hearts and minds.”

California’s controversial ban dates back to 2016, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1887 into law. The legislation was sparked by a North Carolina bill restricting transgender people’s access to bathrooms.