Burlington mayor bans nonessential travel to N.C.
Clarification: Three Burlington employees traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina in early March. Due to a source error, the number of employees was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
Mayor Miro Weinberger is prohibiting official travel by Burlington employees to North Carolina unless essential until further notice, despite a change to that state's controversial bathroom bill.
The mayor signed an executive order on Monday enacting the ban, stating that "North Carolina continues to deny residents of and visitors to North Carolina fundamental civil rights." The order came in response to the southern state's amendment of the controversial House Bill 2.
"North Carolina’s new law does nothing to protect transgender individuals and creates a unique prohibition against municipalities taking any action to reduce discrimination," Weinberger wrote in a statement. "Burlington will stand with the many other cities from around the country that will continue to boycott North Carolina until the state ends this discriminatory practice.”
RELATED:
- Vt. considers gender-neutral, single-stall bathroom bill
- Despite HB2 replacement, mayors won’t budge on NC travel ban
- Shumlin cuts off state travel to N.C. over LGBT law
- N.C. city OKs controversial transgender bathroom bill
- North Carolina governor signs measure to roll back 'bathroom bill'
"The City has a responsibility to protect Burlington's officials and employees from discrimination when they are acting in their official capacities," he wrote in the order.
The bill, passed originally in March of last year, eliminated anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and mandated that individuals must use the restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates. On March 30 of this year, legislators amended the law to remove the bathroom provision, but prohibited any local government, state agency or public university from adopting any protections for LGBTQ people until 2020.
Three Burlington employees went to Charlotte in early March to attend a conference, mayor's office spokeswoman Katie Vane said, including the city's chief innovation officer and two Burlington Electric employees.
Several other mayors, including the mayors of Seattle, New York City and Los Angeles, announced last week that bans on travel to North Carolina would remain in place.
After the passage of HB2, then-Gov. Peter Shumlin banned non-essential official travel to North Carolina for Vermont state employees. Last week, Gov. Phil Scott, Shumlin's Republican successor, told reporters he was looking at the ban.
Weinberger's ban exempts the city of Charlotte. North Carolina's largest city had passed an ordinance in 2016 protecting transgender people who used bathrooms that match their gender identity, prompting the passage of the law.
"The City of Burlington supports the efforts of the City of Charlotte to promote equal treatment and inclusion," Weinberger wrote in the order.
Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe