Palm Springs restricts employee travel to Indiana

Palm Springs city employees will be prohibited from publicly funded travel to Indiana in protest of that state’s recent enactment of a religious freedom law that some contend will lead to discrimination against same-sex couples, Mayor Steve Pougnet announced Wednesday.

The City Council also plans to consider a resolution objecting to the law, and Pougnet said he would send a personal letter to the governor of Indiana expressing the city’s position. “Indiana’s legislature and governor have recently enacted a law that is an affront to the residents of Palm Springs, one of the most tolerant and inclusive communities in our country,” the mayor said. “We will stand united
to protect the civil rights of all Americans.” He added: “Religious liberty must not become a government-approved excuse for discrimination.”

Indiana became the target of economic and political backlash in recent days, after Gov. Mike Pence signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which critics said would allow businesses to refuse service to people based on their sexual orientation.