U.K. issues travel warning to anti-queer U.S. states
Last week the United Kingdom’s foreign office issued a travel warning to British tourists visiting the American South, specifically referencing North Carolina and Mississippi. Why? Because if someone from our queer family flies across the Atlantic and into the Tar Heels state, then they are subject to the ridiculous, bigoted anti-queer laws that have recently passed.
Yes North Carolina, HB 2 has now elevated your state even more red. Red as in dangerous.
On the U.K.’s Foreign Office website, under the local laws and customs section of the USA travel advice, is the following message:
Laws vary from state to state. When you are physically present in a state, even temporarily, you are subject to that state’s laws. You must carry a passport showing that you have leave to enter or remain with you at all times.
The US is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country. LGBT travellers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi. Before travelling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community. You can find more detail on LGBT issues in the US on the website of the Human Rights Campaign.
Possession or trafficking of a controlled substance in the United States can carry a severe prison sentence and/or fine. Check with each state you are intending to visit to make sure you comply with the personal possession and consumption laws of controlled substances within those states. A list of all types of controlled substances, as listed under the Controlled Substances Act, can be found on the US Department of Justice website.
Details of the assistance offered by the British Embassy and Consulates to British nationals if arrested or detained in the USA is available on GOV.UK.
This is just embarrassing now. When one of our nation’s closest allies is warning their citizens that traveling to Mississippi or North Carolina is unsafe because of the laws passed by its elected officials, then it’s time to rethink laws. The world is laughing at you, and the rest of the nation.
