WASHINGTON (TND) — Politics is a topic of discussion that affects almost every aspect of daily life. Some cities and states have taken a stand on political beliefs, often in the form of boycotts.
In 2016, after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, San Francisco passed legislation banning city-sponsored travel to thirty states that restricted abortion, voting rights and LGBTQ rights. It also barred the city from entering into contracts with companies headquartered in any of those states.
However, the city has attempted to repeal this law. A report released by the city government this spring found that the policy has cost San Francisco financially and repealing the policy could save the city up to 20% in contract costs.
The state of California has a similar boycott in place that could soon be lifted. Since 2017, California has banned state-funded travel in 23 states because of its same-sex marriage policy.
In March, Democratic Republic Senate President Toni G. Atkins proposed legislation that would end the ban and replace it with an advertising campaign to promote the state’s policy goals of inclusion and acceptance.
Some states have faced the Heat from sports organizations over the introduction of bans. In 2016, the NCAA withdrew all of its championship events from North Carolina because of the Public Facility Privacy and Security Act, better known as the “bathroom bill.”
This was critical as North Carolina had hosted more NCAA tournaments than any other state. The “bathroom bill” has been criticized for restricting which bathrooms transgender people could use and limiting protections for LGBTQ people. The NBA also decided to move its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana.
More recently, the state of Georgia has “got cracked” with Major League Baseball. In 2021, MLB pulled its Summer All-Star game from Atlanta because of Georgia’s just-passed election law. President Joe Biden joined efforts to move the game, which was moved to Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.
After Georgia passed the law, other big-name brands and companies like Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines condemned the law as “unacceptable.” Executives from other companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Citi, and sports teams such as the Atlanta Hawks and Falcons also spoke out on the importance of voting rights.
