The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. issued a Florida travel/relocation advisory Tuesday. This comes as newly passed Florida legislation may pose a threat to minorities according to the organization. The Human Rights Campaign’s travel advisory comes just days after the NAACP and the League for United Latin American Citizens issued similar warnings.
The LGBTQ+ advocacy group stated that they aren’t calling for a boycott of the Sunshine State. They claim that the purpose of the advisory is to highlight new policies that have been passed by the Florida GOP, that they consider to be “hostile” to the LGBTQ+ community. The Human Rights Campaign also criticized recent efforts by the DeSantis administration to restrict abortions and to allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons.
The organization’s president, Kelley Robinson, said in a statement that “those who visit must join us in their vocal opposition to these dangerous policies.” “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.”
The Human Rights Campaign is not the first organization to warn the LGBTQ+ community against visiting Florida. Just last weekend, the NAACP stated that Florida is “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”
According to the state’s tourism agency, Visit Florida, more than 137 million tourists visited the state last year. A number that surpasses pre-pandemic levels. The agency also claims that tourism supports 1.6 million full-time & part-time jobs in the state, according to last year’s figures.