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LGBTQ+ advocates join NAACP, LULAC travel advisories

Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign have issued an updated travel advisory that details risks associated with relocation or travel to Florida in the wake of the six anti-LGBTQ bills passed by the Florida Legislature.

Why this matters: The updated travel advisory comes days after similar notices were released by national civil rights organizations NAACP and LULAC that warned of Florida’s “open hostility” toward the African American and Latino communities in the wake of laws signed by Governor DeSantis.


Dig Deeper:

MEMORANDUM

To: Interested Parties

From: Equality Florida and The Human Rights Campaign

Subj.: ADVISORY: RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH RELOCATION OR TRAVEL TO FLORIDA

Date: May 23, 2023

___________________________________________________________________________

Earlier this year, Equality Florida took the unprecedented step of issuing an advisory warning individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and students of the risks associated with relocation or travel to Florida. Now that the Florida’s most anti-LGBTQ legislative session in history has come to an end, we are providing an updated advisory here to detail the impacts of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws and allow untrained, unpermitted carry, and foment racial prejudice. The Governor has also weaponized state agencies to impose sanctions and retribution against businesses large and small that engage in protected speech disfavored by his administration .

Florida has recently adopted a slate of hateful policies that directly target the rights of LGBTQ individuals and basic freedoms broadly. Already, those policies have led many Florida parents to  relocate, prospective students to cross Florida colleges and universities off their lists, events and conferences to cancel future gatherings, and the United States military to offer redeployment for service members whose families are now unsafe in the state. Throughout Florida’s legislative session, and now with the enactment of the most anti-LGBTQ legislation in state history, we want to provide a clear-eyed summary of  the real world impacts from these dangerous policies so that people can make informed decisions regarding travel or relocation to and from the state.

Censorship and Erasure of the LGBTQ Community in the Classroom

The infamous Don’t Say LGBTQ law has made Florida synonymous with the anti-LGBTQ movement to empower government censorship and book banning across the nation. That original law, its recent expansion in the 2023 Legislative Session, and associated agency rulemaking have turned the state’s classrooms into political battlefields and is telegraphing to LGBTQ families and students that they are not welcome in Florida.

Assaults on Medical Freedom

These policies disproportionately harm marginalized communities, including the direct impacts on the transgender community and communities of color, and could lead to serious health consequences. Transgender Floridians face immediately losing lifesaving, medically necessary care, and supportive parents risk state interference in child custody arrangements under a weaponized state court system for seeking such care. These attacks pose an imminent threat to the health and safety of all in Florida and those considering the state as a permanent or temporary destination should be aware of the risks.

Assaults on Bathroom and Locker Room Access

Restrictive bathroom bans are a gross invasion of privacy and make spaces less safe for transgender individuals. This law will disproportionately impact members of the LGBTQ community, as they will face escalating harassment in public restrooms. Transgender visitors could face criminal charges for using the same restrooms they would typically use in their home state or country.  Already, stories of cisgender women being aggressively confronted for “not being feminine enough” have surfaced online. Florida’s bathroom restrictions pose an immediate threat to travelers and those considering relocation to the state.

Assaults on Academic Freedom

These actions by the Governor and his legislative allies pose a serious threat to academic freedom, free speech, and the pursuit of knowledge. DEI departments play a crucial role in promoting diversity and inclusion on campus, and their defunding undermines the ability of students and faculty to engage in critical discussions about issues of race, gender, and identity.

Furthermore, the replacement of university presidents with political appointees threatens the independence of higher education institutions and undermines the ability of these institutions to make decisions that are in the best interest of their students, faculty, and staff. These attacks on public education are deeply concerning, and further reinforce a message that Florida is not a welcoming state for people from all backgrounds. We urge individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and students to consider the implications of seeking education in Florida, and to support efforts to defend public education and academic freedom in the state.

Assaults on Arts, Entertainment, and Sports Participation

The far-right’s obsession with drag queens has put LGBTQ people in physical danger across the country, but especially in Florida. In 2022 alone, the LGBTQ media organization GLAAD found 141 incidents of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events. Right-wing media like Fox News and Libs Of TikTok have misrepresented what occurs at drag events and taken examples out of context to create fear and misunderstanding. This has had real world consequences, with protests and threats of violence against venues hosting drag shows.

In Florida, Orlando organizers were forced to cancel Drag Queen story hour due to threats from Neo-Nazis. This last December in Lakeland, masked individuals in Nazi gear, waving Nazi flags ambushed a charity event hosted by drag queens while projecting hateful messages onto local buildings. Attacks on the arts are an age-old authoritarian tactic designed to use culture to divide communities and target marginalized groups. These moves by the Governor and the legislature threaten to stifle artistic expression in Florida and induce a chilling effect on drag performances and Pride celebrations.

Assaults on Business

The Miami Herald recently reported that DeSantis-controlled agencies sought to punish and revoke the liquor license of an Orlando establishment that hosted a live drag performance even after the state’s own investigators reported that they saw nothing “lewd”. The discriminatory targeting of LGBTQ-friendly businesses by the state will have a broader chilling effect over drag performances, an intended consequence of this type of censorship.

Disney has also recently denounced the governor’s actions against them, with CEO Bob Iger calling the state’s policies “anti-business and anti-Florida.” Their lawsuit alleging political retaliation for protected speech was filed in April and expanded in May.

These laws and actions are both unconstitutional and harmful to businesses and their employees, as they undermine efforts to create inclusive workplaces and hinder the ability to effectively engage with diverse customers and clients. It also sends a message that Florida is not a welcoming state for people from all backgrounds and that discrimination is acceptable.

Efforts to Foment Racial Prejudice

These laws create an unwelcoming and hostile environment for LGBTQ individuals, women, people of color, and other marginalized communities. They send a message that discrimination and prejudice are acceptable in Florida, and those considering travel or relocation should consider the risks associated with a state that is openly hostile to their basic human rights. This has led national civil rights organizations the NAACP and LULAC issuing travel advisories of their own.

As a result of these dangerous and discriminatory laws, we urge individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and students to make informed decisions about potential travel plans to Florida and to consider the impact that their travel and economic choices can have on promoting equality and justice for all.

Repealing of Gun Safety Laws

The passage of deadly permitless carry makes Floridians less safe and signals the reversal of the progress made after the massacres at Pulse and Parkland. Coupled with the state’s infamous Stand Your Ground law, Permitless Carry threatens to exacerbate Florida’s violent crime rate at a time when the state’s homicide rate ranks 20th in the nation, exceeding both California and New York.

LGBTQ Floridians know all too well that the gun lobby’s obsession with easy access to deadly weapons can make hatred and bigotry lethal. Gun violence is not abstract or hypothetical — it is stealing our loved ones. Those considering travel to Florida should weigh the potentially deadly consequences of the DeSantis Administration’s decision to eliminate basic training and permitting requirements in order to concealed carry a firearm, and that decision’s impact when combined with efforts to encourage harassment and discrimination against marginalized communities.

Attacks on Immigrant Communities

Florida has passed legislation targeting immigrant communities, with consequences that include reduced access to health care services, compromised safety, and potential felony arrest for accompanying an undocumented immigrant into the state. And these moves come just months after Governor DeSantis trafficked migrants from Texas to Massachusetts in a cruel scheme to use their suffering as campaign marketing material. That relocation program received an additional $12 million during the legislative session.

The threats posed to immigrants in Florida led the Florida Immigrant Coalition to issue its own advisory urging reconsideration of any travel to the state. That advisory can be found here.

Conclusion

Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose significant risk to the health and safety of many considering relocation and/or temporary travel to the state. We deeply regret that these attacks have already led LGBTQ families and others to flee the state and are driving more to consider relocation. And, in a state whose economy is fueled by visitors from around the world, it is with great sadness that Equality Florida has had to take the extraordinary step of responding to inquiries by issuing an official advisory warning of the risks associated with travel to the state.

Our message remains the same: whether you select Florida as your destination or not, consider how you can engage more deeply in the fight against the state’s all-out assaults on democracy and freedom. We are heartened to see those local communities in Florida that have been on the forefront of building inclusive communities for decades are looking for ways to mitigate the harm being done. Consider supporting LGBTQ-owned and allied businesses, including those in our OpenDoorsFlorida.org directory, who have long been the backbone of our communities. Partner with LGBTQ organizations to increase your impact on those most directly feeling the impacts of these policy assaults. Make your presence in Florida, or lack thereof, a statement of support for marginalized communities on the ground.

This moment calls for a grassroots movement in defense of justice and equality for all — so that we can turn back the tide of right wing authoritarianism, recommit to building a state that is safe and open to all, and once again celebrate Florida as a free state.

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