San Francisco to Repeal Anti-LGBT State Boycott, California Considers Following Suit

San Francisco is set to repeal a ban on city-funded travel to 30 states that have been accused of restricting abortion, voting, and LGBTQ rights, after determining that the boycott is causing more harm than good.

The move was approved by a 7-4 vote by the Board of Supervisors, and if passed on a second and final vote next Tuesday, is expected to be signed by Mayor London Breed.

The boycott was initially passed in 2016 and applied only to states that were believed to limit LGBTQ rights, but later expanded to include states that restricted access to voting and abortion. The idea was to exert economic pressure on those conservative states, but a recent report released by the city administrator concluded that the policy was raising costs and administrative burdens for the city, and there were fewer bidders for city work. The report also noted that ending the boycott might reduce contracting costs by 20% annually.

Additionally, hundreds of exemptions and waivers were granted for some $800 million worth of contracts, but no states were motivated to reform their laws in response to the boycott.

San Francisco Board President Aaron Peskin, who co-sponsored the repeal, said that the measure was well-intentioned but ultimately failed to accomplish the social change it sought to effect, and instead created serious obstructions to everything from accessing emergency housing to being able to cost-effectively purchase the best products and contracts for the city.

“Instead, this onerous restriction has led to an uncompetitive bidding climate and created serious obstructions to everything from accessing emergency housing to being able to cost-effectively purchase the best products and contracts for the City,” Peskin said in a statement.

California is also considering repealing a similar ban on state-funded travel to states it considers discriminatory towards LGBTQ people, after sports teams at public colleges and universities had to find other ways to pay for road games in states like Arizona and Utah.

The prohibition means that the state is unable to use state money to pay for people who live in other states to travel to California for abortions, which has complicated some of the state’s other policy goals. As a result, state Senate leader Toni Atkins announced legislation last month that would end the ban and replace it with an advertising campaign in those states that promotes acceptance and inclusion for the LGBTQ community.

The bill would set up a fund to pay for the campaign, which would accept private donations and state funding — if any is available.

The move to repeal the ban in San Francisco and possibly in California has received mixed reactions. Supporters of the ban argue that the boycott is an effective way to promote social change and push back against discriminatory laws, while opponents say that the boycott harms local businesses and does little to change laws in other states.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will hold a final vote on the repeal next week, and it is expected to pass.