Tuesday, March 31, 2015

West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio places travel ban on city-funded trips to Indiana

March 31, 2015

In the wake of Indiana's passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio became the first mayor in Florida to place a travel ban on city-funded trips to Indiana.

"For more than two decades, West Palm Beach has been in the forefront, protecting the civil rights and ensuring equality for the LGBT community," said Muoio. "Until Indiana's discriminatory law is amended or repealed, West Palm Beach taxpayers will not subsidize legally-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people."

Mayor Muoio took this action at yesterday's City Commission meeting at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local civil rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
 
"Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act
sanctions outright discrimination against LGBT people," said retired judge Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Human Rights Council.  "We commend Mayor Muoio for putting her strong beliefs against bigotry into action by prohibiting taxpayer dollarsbeing used in Indiana."

Similar travel bans have been put into place by states of Connecticut and Washington, as well as the cities of Portland, Seattle and San Francisco.

Muoio's concern goes beyond her own city.

"The U.S. Conference of Mayors is scheduled to meet in Indianapolis next year," explained Muoio.  "If Indiana's law is not changed, I am going to ask the Conference to move the meeting to a more accepting locale."

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