In a letter to state employees on Wednesday, Gov. Mark Dayton issued a ban on non-essential travel to Mississippi after that state’s governor signed an anti-LGBTQ bill into law.

“This act of discrimination is discriminatory against many Mississippi residents, and violates their Constitutional rights. We cannot allow this injustice to go unanswered. When the rights of some Americans are threatened, it is the responsibility of all Americans to stand in opposition to those discriminatory acts,” Dayton said in a statement. “Minnesota has made great progress to protect the rights and dignity of all people in our state. Now, we will do what we can as Minnesotans, to support and defend the rights of others.”

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith also released a statement: “The discriminatory laws passed in North Carolina and Mississippi are not who we are. The Mississippi law undoes years of progress protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. I strongly support the Governor’s decision to discourage travel to Mississippi until these discriminatory laws are repealed.”

The action follows a similar travel ban to North Carolina issued by the governor on Saturday.

New York, Vermont, Washington, and Connecticut as well as Seattle, West Palm Beach, Santa Fe, and Multnomah County, Ore., have also banned travel to Mississippi as of late Wednesday.

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