The country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group issues travel advisory for Florida
In solidarity with other civil rights groups, the largest LGBTQ rights organization in the United States issued a travel warning for Florida on Tuesday, highlighting how recent legislation and policy changes present potential dangers for minorities, immigrants, and gay visitors.
The Human Rights Campaign issued travel or relocation advisories for Florida, one of the most well-liked tourist destinations in the United States, alongside the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Equality Florida.
The LGBTQ advocacy group denied calling for a boycott or recommending that people avoid Florida, notes NBC News. Still, it did want to draw attention to new laws passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature that the group asserts threatens the LGBTQ community, limits access to abortion, and allows Floridians to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson urged visitors to speak out against the state’s “new dangerous policies,” as reported by Equality Florida.
“Those who visit must join us in their vocal opposition to these dangerous policies,” Robinson said. “Those who pick another place to work, to go to school, or to spend their vacation should make clear why they’re not heading to Florida.”
As Detour previously reported, the oldest civil rights organization in the country, the NAACP, issued a warning over the weekend that recent laws and policies supported by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and lawmakers are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals.”
The Florida Immigrant Coalition issued a similar advisory last month when Equality Florida first did so, pointed out USA Today. The coalition, including over sixty-five groups, warned about the dangers of visiting or relocating to Florida.
According to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency, visitor numbers in 2017 topped 137.5 million, an all-time high and an increase from the pre-pandemic era. In 2019, tourists spent $98.8 billion in Florida, directly supporting 1.6 million full- and part-time jobs.
Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached via email at evieblanco@detourxp.com.