A New York lawmaker is calling on
Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban state-funded travel to Louisiana
following an executive order signed by Governor Bobby Jindal.
Jindal, a possible candidate for the
2016 Republican presidential nomination, on Tuesday issued the order
after lawmakers shelved a controversial “religious freedom” bill
that sought to prohibit the government from taking adverse action
against a person or business for expressing a religious belief or
moral conviction about marriage.
(Related: Bobby
Jindal issues “religious freedom” order after House bill dies.)
Daniel O'Donnell, an openly gay member
of the New York Assembly, called on Cuomo to ban all non-essential
state-funded travel to Louisiana.
“It's time to instate a travel ban on
Louisiana,” O'Donnell wrote in a letter to Cuomo. “Following the
failure of legislation there that would have enabled state-sponsored
discrimination against LGBT citizens under the guise of religious
freedom, Governor Bobby Jindal has issued an executive order seeking
the same despicable ends as the bill.”
“When the state of Indiana passed
legislation which similarly targeted its LGBT citizens, I was very
proud and appreciative that you banned non-essential travel to the
Hoosier state. It was a strong statement demonstrating New York's
progressive leadership on human rights and the belief that all
citizens deserve to be treated equally – as our country's
Constitution guarantees and founding fathers intended.”
“I ask that you take this step again
and ban non-essential state travel to Louisiana. Our state's
employees should not be put in a situation where they can be legally
discriminated against or made to feel unsafe, and our state must not
support Governor Jindal's campaign against LGBT individuals. We must
move our business to places that treat their citizens equally and
fairly," he added.