Prominent LGBT rights group GetEQUAL issued its own Travel Alert to Mississippi today, as the state's legislature considers a bill that would allow business owners to discriminate for religious reasons.
Sound familiar? Just last week Arizona's governor vetoed a similar bill after massive public outcry, including several high-profile travel companies.
The Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or Senate Bill 2681, has passed the state's Senate unanimously, and is now up for voting in the House. While politicians debate the bill, Mississippi's GetEQUAL activists are calling for a travel boycott to their state.
For individuals who choose to visit, GetEQUAL recommends opting for hotels, restaurants, and venues that are openly LGBT-friendly.
The T+L Take? Travel to Mississippi is not dangerous, and GetEQUAL goes a little far by discouraging solo travel. That said, the organization is right to drum up press about the discriminatory bill and remind lawmakers—and business owners—that LGBT travelers and their allies are an important demographic to consider. While a boycott to Mississippi may not be in order, a buycott to some of the state's friendlier spots certainly is.
Peter Schlesinger is a research assistant at Travel + Leisure and a member of the Trip Doctor news team.
