Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined by 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, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski today announced the formation of a coalition group called Mayors Against Discrimination in the wake of recent discriminatory laws enacted against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Mayors Against Discrimination are initially joined in barring official travel to states with discriminatory laws such as those enacted in North Carolina and, most recently, Mississippi, but will 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.

“I believe strongly that we should add more protections to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in the United States, not diminish them and deny people their constitutional rights,” said Mayor Lee. “We as Mayors must stand up together and call out discrimination when we see it, and I believe working together we can create change to ensure the rights of all Americans.”