• U.S.

U.K. Warns LGBT Travelers About North Carolina and Mississippi Laws

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The British Foreign Office updated its travel advisories Tuesday to warn LGBT travelers about recent legislation passed in North Carolina and Mississippi.

The new religious freedom law in Mississippi allows businesses to refuse service based on opposition to same sex marriage, and HB 2 in North Carolina mandates that transgender people use bathrooms according to their birth sex.

“The US is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country,” states the Foreign Office advice about the U.S. “LGBT travellers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi.”

Before Tuesday’s update, the Foreign Office had only offered general advice that LGBT travelers “take care abroad.”

[The Independent, Washington Post]

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com