LGBTQ activist group issues travel advisory for Florida

Equality Florida says it has taken the extraordinary step of issuing the warning to anyone considering visiting or relocating to the state after receiving “a wave of safety inquiries…following the passage of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws, foment racial prejudice, and attack public education by banning books and censoring curriculum.”

The group accuses Governor Ron DeSantis of weaponizing state agencies to push his “extremist policies.” The Governor’s Press Secretary, Bryan Griffin, called the advisory a political stunt.

“We are not going to waste time worrying about political stunts, but we'll continue doing what is right for Floridians,” Griffin told Fox News.

The advisory warns of the “risks posed to the health, safety, and freedom of those considering short or long-term travel, or relocation to the state.”

“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,” said Nadine Smith, Equality Florida Executive Director, in a statement on the group’s website.

Smith added that the state is “losing conferences,” and claims Florida is now failing to attract “top students,” but that the most heartbreaking stories are of those of “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 healthcare restrictions to which Smith is referring are those that prohibit doctors from performing experimental sex changes on adolescents still going through a crucial stage of identity development. Several European nations have recently placed serious restrictions on medical sex change interventions such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors after systematic reviews of the scientific literature revealed the evidence to support such interventions is of extremely poor quality.

Equality Florida also appears to be objecting to a proposed bill that seeks to prohibit books with pornographic content being available on school library shelves.

“We understand everyone must weigh the risks and decide what is best for their safety, but whether you stay away, leave or remain we ask that you join us in countering these relentless attacks. Help reimagine and build a Florida that is truly safe for and open to all, and where freedom is a reality, not a hollow campaign slogan,” said Smith.