California has banned state-funded travel to Kansas after determining that the Sunflower State is one of four in the nation with laws that it views as discriminatory toward gay people.
The policy could prevent public universities in California from scheduling sporting events with Kansas teams and raises the question of whether teams will travel to Wichita in 2018, when the city is scheduled to host two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
“California must take action to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” states the California law, which was passed in September.
The law prohibits state agencies and universities from using state dollars to pay for travel to states with laws it views as discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. There are a few exceptions, such as for law enforcement purposes.
Kansas is on the travel prohibition list because of a 2016 law that enabled college campus religious groups to require that members adhere to their religious beliefs and standards. That law was crafted partially in response to a controversy in California that occurred when a Christian student group lost recognition on California State University campuses for failure to comply with an “all comers” non-discrimination policy in 2014.
Other states on the list are North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Leavenworth, who sponsored the Kansas legislation, said the California attorney general’s office misunderstood the purpose of the law. “It’s to prevent discrimination,” he said.
“I think there’s more evidence now that when we build the wall we need to build it up the California border,” Fitzgerald added, referring to President Trump’s plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
The biggest impact of the California law will likely be in college athletics.
Josh Rupprecht, spokesman for UCLA’s athletic department, said it does not rely on state funds for its sports teams, but that “moving forward, the athletic department will not schedule future games in states that fail to meet the standards established by the new law.”
Asked whether this would prevent UCLA from traveling to Wichita for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2018, Rupprecht said in a second e-mail that should “the NCAA assign us to a tournament bracket in a state affected by AB 1887, barring unforeseen circumstances, we will not deny our student-athletes the right to participate in postseason play.”
Michael Schuttloffel, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, one of the main groups that pushed for the Kansas law, dismissed California’s restriction on official travel as a publicity stunt and said seven other states also had laws similar to the Kansas law that protect campus religious groups.
“Maybe in California they do not believe that Jewish students should get to be in charge of the Jewish student association, or that Baptist students should be able to ensure that the Baptist student union stands for the things that Baptists believe in, but fortunately California does not make law in Kansas,” Schuttloffel said. “We have no interest in importing California’s anti-religious intolerance. And frankly if UCLA is scared to play KU in basketball, they should just come out and say it.”
Full story at The Wichita Eagle.
I am all ready to move to Kansas!
Don’t cede the once great and golden state of California to the loons, Linda Maria. You’ve stuck it out this far, surrounded by nut cases and still managed to speak the truth in strength. Consider yours a white martyrdom!
I don’t mean that seriously, Ann Malley! Just that I really do appreciate the actions of states like Kansas, as reported in the above article! The state of California is unbelievably lunatic!!
…I know you weren’t serious, LM. I was merely highlighting the need of clear thinking people in CA.
Take care and don’t take any loony nickels ;^)
I don’t know about that. Fats Domino’s song about Kansas City was kind of racy. I think I will stick it out in my quiet little town here, and weather out the storm, but I might buy some of their on line products to cheer them on the right direction.
Kansas City had a famous, risqué song written about it, during the jazz era– but in reality, it is a really nice Midwestern city. I think the Fraternity of St. Peter has a nice church there, that offers the traditional Latin Mass, with lots of enthusiastic worshippers. Many other cities likewise, have had famous songs written about them. Of course– the San Francisco Bay Area is tragically famous for some of the worst sins in the country! Anyway– wouldn’t it be great, if we all together, could fix things, to make California a great place to live, a place that honors God, with the way people live???
Benedictine College, of Atchison, Kansas, is endorsed by the Cardinal Newman Society, as one of our few Catholic colleges in America, faithful to the teachings of our Church.
No pun was intended in my last post. Perhaps a better word to have used is “risqué”.
Oh please do LMaria.
jon is obviously not a follower of Christ. he has his own so-called “religion” of self-worship.
I hope you’ll stay, LM. We need to have at least 5 or six Republican votes in California ;)
State of CA looks totally ridiculous. Persecution of religion and believers is policy of State.
I agree! Lunatic state– and it should stop pretending that it truly represents the majority of the people! Many Californians do not agree with lunatic, immoral, anti-Christian liberal agendas! To be a “transgender” is not a political issue– it is a very serious mental illness, requiring proper medical treatment!
Christians should always show Christ’s love and respect to all people, including the “LGBT’s.” However, it is lunacy, to equate “discrimination” with religious and ethnic clubs on college campuses, and elsewhere, that help support students of particular ethnic and religious beliefs! — To say that they cannot run their own organizations themselves, because it “discriminates” against those not of their groups — is totally wrong! Is it fair for Muslim Palestinians to help run an Israeli Jewish religious group? Or for devout Jews to help run a Christian pot-luck or bar-b-que, that serves non-kosher meals (including pork?)?? Or for Protestants to help run the local student Catholic Mass??
Colleges originally were all run with strict moral codes — churches that ran schools, also had their own rules to follow, too. Students in our secular colleges had to obey and live by our Biblical Judeo-Christian morality. Penalties were imposed for refusing to obey. It used to be recognized, that a big part of a student’s education, was character formation– to turn out a morally-good man or woman, for society, and for their church, too! Many student clubs existed, in secular colleges, to help support students of particular faiths. Today, sadly, many academic and political leaders have forgotten the importance of belief in God, and of formation of good character. This is totally wrong!
California please do the rest of us a favor and secede…. I am sure Mexico will welcome you back…..
Idiocy. How can the people of CA continue to elect such dopes to office? These people do not live in reality. Perhaps it is time for the rest of the USA to buycott CA, the State that exists to advance the profit interests of Planned Parenthood and the perversions of sodomites. A place that is often beautiful, but increasingly morally corrupted.
And, on top of all this, the thieves in Sacto constantly live to steal from CA people. Why? To pay off its sycophants, including unions, to assure its continued grasp of power. How can you stand it, People?
St. Christopher,
Due to the recent drugs laws, relaxation of crime laws, welcoming of illegal immigrants, and the continued rise of the welfare state, California is setting itself to self-destruct. On the current course, sadly, it’s just a matter of time.
I agree, Steve Seitz.
This is another case were California wishes to deny people the right to free association. I still don’t understand how California was legally able to force Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians to allow non party members to help choose their political candidates.
California should cease all trade with those countries in the Middle East that throw gays off of buildings. They should refuse all financial donations at their universities from Saudi Arabia and the like. Will they? No.
What a farce assertion of perceived influence. California, along with Hollywood, needs to stuff it, and perhaps look to the citizenry in their own state who similarly do not endorse the LGBT “agenda”. Talk about intolerance.
Perhaps Governot ‘Moonbeam’ should “Build A Wall” – around Kalifornia; rather than the many walls needed to seal off most of the rest of the nation from CA.
As a native son of the ‘golden state’ I understand that the reputation of CA as the land of ‘Mixed Fruits & Nuts’ is in large measure due to immigration – of losers from other states who couldn’t hack it outside the nanny state.
Of course we must credit Academentia for the Vicious nature of the Misandry (Hatred of Men & Boys, Masculinity & Normal Heterosexuality) that is the Party Line in this One (lousy) Party State of Chaos.
Michael McDermott– Governor Moonbeam’s mom and dad, and all his Jesuit teachers of old, would laugh at him, and roll over in their graves, to see how he turned out! “Mr. Krazy-Kalifornia, Liberal, Godless Hippie-Anarchist Governor!” With feet firmly planted in the slimy mud, in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury and Castro districts! No common sense. No Christian decency and morality. No manhood. No strong, traditional, mature community and Church membership. No mature political leadership at all! .He would be laughed out of the room, by his forebears!
Can you imagine a governor of the past, such as “Pat” Brown or Ronald Reagan, seriously advocating in political speeches, and seeking to enact laws– for such immoral, destructive nonsense and garbage– as “women’s rights to abortion and sexual freedoms,” legalization of dope, gay sex and “marriage,” and doctor-assisted suicide?? Big horse laugh! American men used to be more mature than that! They were all taught to stand up for the traditional American home, family, school, and church, and to guard our communities always, against danger and sin!
I grew up in Kansas and lived there until I was well out of college. There’s nothing there.
Wrong Kemosabe. I left Kalifornia after over 50 years and moved to Kansas. I was actually shocked at how detached I was. The left coast is run by lunatics. I want on the Walk for Life in Topeka. There were over 50 pro-life politicians on the steps of the State Capitol Building. I love Kansas!
The CA Commucrats have built their stinking barns, lets see how long they can live in them!
The CA super-majority Commucratic legislature and governorship are run by the despot LGBT/Hollywood community and are the laughing stock of the nation. They will cause the state government to collapse within itself, then of course when it gets so bad they can’t stand what they’ve turned CA into, they will give up and leave moving to other states to infect them with their same leftist/Marxist/communists interests. I say have the state by them one-way ‘barrack-to-barrack’ air fares to Iran, North Korea, Libya, and North Vietnam, 5 years in each country before returning home to freedom. I think they would appreciate a whole lot better what freedoms and capitalism they lost during those 20 years.
I grew up in California and I love that beautiful state, but I would be hard pressed to be MORE ASHAMED of what it has become!
Sadly well expressed, GREG. I shared your sentiments and situation.