San Francisco and Seattle just banned city employees from traveling to North Carolina

San Francisco and Seattle have just banned city employees from traveling to North Carolina on public business after the state passed a law limiting transgender rights.

“We are standing united as San Franciscans to condemn North Carolina’s new discriminatory law that turns back the clock on protecting the rights of all Americans including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals,” Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement Friday. “Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of North Carolina that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety.”

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Monday afternoon that Mayor Ed Murray would make a similar announcement.

North Carolina’s law bars cities and counties from extending civil rights protections to gay and transgender people. It also bans transgender people from using public bathrooms according to their gender identity.

Some of America’s biggest brands and corporations are protesting the law. It is already being challenged in court by equal-rights groups.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.