ORLANDO, Fla. — Equality Florida issued a travel advisory today warning the LGBTQ community to avoid visiting or relocating to the state.
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The St. Petersburg-based civil rights organization cites an influx of safety inquiries they’ve received since the passage of certain laws and policies that they consider to be hostile to the LGBTQ community.
The advisory refers to specific laws and policies like the Florida Board of Medicine’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for trans youth and state laws that create criminal penalties for medical providers who provide that care.
The advisory also points to proposals that repeal gun safety laws as well as book bans and censorship in public education.
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“As an organization that has spent decades working to improve Florida’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place to live work and visit, it is with great sadness that we must respond to those asking if it is safe to travel to Florida or remain in the state as the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms,” Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith said in a statement. ”While losing conferences, and top students who have written off Florida threatens lasting damage to our state, it is most heartbreaking to hear from parents who are selling their homes and moving because school censorship, book bans and health care restrictions have made their home state less safe for their children.”
The advisory follows a similar move by the NAACP Florida State Conference which voted unanimously last month in favor of asking the NAACP Board of Directors to issue a travel advisory for the state of Florida, urging the black community to avoid visiting or moving to the state.
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In response, the Governor’s office released a statement dismissing the advisory as a “stunt.”
“As the governor noted previously, this type of thing is a political stunt,” Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said. “We aren’t going to waste time worrying about political stunts but will continue doing what is right for Floridians.”
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