Florida LGBTQ group SLAMMED for issuing phony ‘travel advisory’ against visiting the Sunshine State
A Florida LGBTQ group has been criticized for issuing a “travel advisory” urging members of the gay community to avoid the Sunshine State over recent laws restricting their “health, safety and freedom.”
The Equality Florida campaign group made headlines for saying that Republican administration Ron DeSantis’ “extremist policies” made the state more dangerous for LGBTQ Americans to live, work and study.
DeSantis spearheaded a populist “anti-woke” agenda aimed at limiting sex reassignment treatments for trans children and teaching about sex, race and gender in schools and colleges.
DeSantis’ office dismissed the false travel advisory as a “political stunt.”
Critics lashed out at Equality Florida, saying the civil rights group was not really operating in the interests of LGBTQ people, especially younger Floridians struggling with their identity.
Florida made headlines by issuing a ‘travel warning’ saying Governor Ron DeSantis’s policies were making the state more dangerous for LGBTQ Americans to live, work and study
DeSantis spearheaded a populist “anti-woke” agenda aimed at restricting sex reassignment treatments for transgender children and limiting the treatment of sexual, racial and gender identities in schools and colleges
“I’m sure this will do wonders for the mental health of Florida youth,” said Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank in New York.
“Nothing says ‘we’re with you’ like convincing psychologically unstable teens that the environment they live in is even more hostile and hopeless than they imagine.”
Meanwhile, Oli London, an influencer transitioning from a trans woman to a man, criticized the group for being “awake” and forcing irreversible medical procedures on trans minors.
“The group, which advocates double mastectomy and genital surgery for teens in the name of gender identity, is now advising all members of the LGBT community not to travel to Florida,” London tweeted.
Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ organization, said Wednesday it took the “extraordinary step” by issuing a travel warning urging queer people, families, business owners and students not to visit the state.
Travel advisories are usually issued by the U.S. State Department or similar departments of foreign governments, urging citizens to be on the lookout for natural disasters, terrorism, civil unrest, and other problems in a destination.
The group said Florida “might not be a safe place” to visit or live due to the passage of new laws and policies that are “hostile” to LGBTQ communities and could pose a “serious risk” to health and safety of visitors.
It described the advisory as an “unprecedented” move and a response to a series of “hateful” laws and policies against LGBTQ people signed by DeSantis, who is widely tipped to seek the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election .
Members of Florida’s LGBTQ community have fought against DeSantis’ policies. At this event in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, protesters chanted “We say gay!” in a rejection of the governor’s crackdown
One of DeSantis’ signature policies prohibits classroom teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade or in an age-inappropriate manner, a law that opponents have labeled “Don’t Say Gay.”
Last year, he and his government’s health department campaigned against sex reassignment treatments for minors and urged health authorities to ban the care, which proponents call “gender affirmation.”
The ban, which was approved by two state councils and went into effect this year, bans sex reassignment surgeries and puberty blockers for minors. Officials said the treatments are experimental and risky for children.
In a statement on the travel advisory, Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith said these and other laws are “taking away basic rights and freedoms” and have led to an exodus from the state.
“It is deeply heartbreaking to hear of parents selling their homes and moving because school censorship, book bans and health care restrictions have made their home states less safe for their children,” Smith said.
“Whether you stay, go, or stay, we ask that you join us in countering these relentless attacks.”
Teaching gender identity and sexuality in schools and providing trans children with puberty blockers and sex hormones has become a front line in the culture wars between liberals and conservatives.