A group of mayors have united to form a
new coalition to oppose so-called religious freedom laws they have
criticized as discriminatory.
Mayors Against Discrimination said in a
press release that its members will work together to undermine laws
already in place and stop their spread to other states.
The mayors have already taken action,
barring city workers from traveling to North Carolina and
Mississippi, both of which recently approved bills targeting the LGBT
community.
Inaugural members include San Francisco
Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Portland Mayor Charlie
Hales, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell,
Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
The group said in its
press release that members would “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.”
“Some are trying to turn back the
clock to a deeply flawed time in our history,” said New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’ll keep doing everything we can to
stand with the LGBT community, speaking out against discrimination
and moving forward policies and laws like we have in New York City
that allow LGBT individuals to live with the dignity and respect they
deserve.”
Mayors Against Discrimination added
that it would work with businesses and rights groups to “apply
direct political and economic pressure to repeal or stop the alarming
spread of discriminatory laws in the United States.”