Congrats, North Carolina and Mississippi legislators! The British government is so concerned about how their citizens might be treated in your states that they issued a issued a warning about traveling to your states:
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.
Here is their travel advice for British LGBT tourists traveling to unfriendly LGBT places, which now includes Mississippi and North Carolina:
Advice for LGB&T travellers while overseas
- avoid potentially risky situations – don’t do anything that you wouldn’t at home
- excessive physical shows of affection, by both same-sex and heterosexual couples, are often best avoided in public
- if you intend to visit cruising areas or internet chat rooms find out about the local situation – police in some countries have been known to carry out entrapment campaigns
- be wary of new-found ‘friends’- criminals sometimes exploit the generally open and relaxed nature of the gay scene
- if you receive unwelcome attention or unwelcome remarks it’s usually best to ignore them
- you’re more likely to experience difficulties in rural areas so it’s best to exercise discretion
- some resorts can be quite segregated - when you are outside the ‘gay neighbourhood’ expressions of sexuality may be frowned upon
- some hotels, especially in rural areas, won’t accept bookings from same sex couples – check before you go