The Human Rights Campaign has finally joined the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Equality Florida in issuing travel or relocation warnings for LGBT’s and Allies to the state of Florida.
More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, according to last year’s figures.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Tuesday issued what he described as a travel advisory for “socialists visiting Florida,” warning that the state is “openly hostile toward Socialists, Communists, and those that enable them.”
DeSantis’s office, when asked to comment on the updated travel advisory – as well as advisories issued by the NAACP, LULAC, and Scott – pointed The Hill to recent tourism data showing the state had received a record number of visitors between January and March.
Is a Travel/Relocation Advisory sufficient? Or should a full blown boycott of Florida, it’s products, and companies headquartered there who do not support us happen?
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Saturday issued a travel advisory for the state of Florida.
According to the NAACP national headquarters, the advisory is a “direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
The advisory reads in part: “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
The NAACP said its advisory comes in direct response to DeSantis’ “aggressive attempts” to erase Black history and restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida schools.
We ask all fellow LGBT+’s and Allies to sign on, share, and participate in a Boycott of Florida travel, tourism, and products.
Disney fired back at Florida’s fascists’ Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday and boy was it a doozy. Disney is scrapping plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Florida, and the addition of over 2000 workers citing “changing business conditions”.
The announcement comes a week after Disney CEO Bob Iger said an ongoing dispute with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised questions about the company’s continued investment there. In a conference call with analysts, Iger said actions by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers amounted to a “campaign of government retaliation” against Disney.
The New York Times reports that people briefed on the matter said the company’s dispute with DeSantis “figured prominently” in the decision to cancel the project.
This move comes as a relief to many of the 2000 workers who were supposed to relocate to Florida to staff the campus. It wasn’t popular with affected employees, some of whom reportedly quit.
As for Governor Ron DeSantis.
We ask all fellow LGBTQ’s and Allies to sign on, share, and participate in a Boycott of Florida travel, tourism, and products.
As if the Don’t Say Gay laws weren’t enough. Now they have to put it in big yellow letters they want us dead.
FLORIDA – Officers on Wednesday morning responded to a report about a suspicious incident in Orlando’s Medical City.When they arrived shortly before 5 a.m., they found a traffic sign had been alerted to read “KILL ALL GAYS” in bright orange letters.
A spokesperson for the City of Orlando told FOX 35 that the sign had been out there for the last four days ahead of a 5K fun run planned for this weekend warning motorists about possible delays.
“When you see someone go through the efforts of hacking a sign to put such a disgusting message, of course, it creates fear,” said State. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. “And that’s the point.”
The spokesperson said the message was immediately removed once notified and that the city has contacted the barricade company and police. The sign was also removed sometime Wednesday.
So two questions: Why is the LGBT+ community in Florida not fighting back? And why is there not a full-blown boycott of Florida by the LGBT+ community and our Allies? No companies have moved. No conventions were canceled. No pressure is put on the state whatsoever.
Excuses have run the gambit of “Oh it doesn’t affect me personally” (It does) and “Boycotts and protests don’t work.”(Some do.) to “What about all the LGBT businesses won’t they will be hurt?”(LGBT+ and Allies who live in Florida should only shop LGBT+ and Ally businesses and support them during a boycott.)
Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law has surpassed Anita Bryant’s heinous “Save our Children” campaign against us in the 1970s because those issues were electoral decisions. So we had the power to vote. But now Florida is under an anti-LGBT dictatorship and we have no other recourse at this point but to cut it off. Cutting off money is the best card we hold in a very weak hand right now. And it must be played.
The LGBTQ+A community MUST stand up and fight within the state also. But protests have been few and blowback within the state minimal. Case in point. Over the year Wilton Manors in Fort Lauderdale which has the largest community in the state has had only one “High Heel” protest march and has caved to DeSantis and has signed onto mot allowing drag queens “not performing” at PRIDE.
“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.
Florida makes over 40 billion dollars each year on tourism alone. Let’s take our LGBTQ+ and ally money away. Any loss to the state is a win for us.
So sorry Flori-gays. You have dropped the ball. You don’t seem to understand that your inaction and passiveness have paved the way and emboldened 16 other red states to establish “Don’t Say Gay” laws because there is no major pushback in Florida. The Human Rights Campaign won’t save you and they have once again proven their uselessness also.
It is time for the rest of us to take over and organized.
It’s time to get serious and fight back.
WE ARE OFFICIALLY CALLING FOR A LGBTQ+ and ALLY BOYCOTT OF FLORIDA TOURISM AND PRODUCTS.
Florida companies apart from Disney who now stand in solidarity (even though they helped start it all) need to stand up, events and conventions need to be canceled and we all need to fight back. Regardless if we live in the state or not.
In the 1960s,1970s, 1980s, and 1990s some of us have fought till bloody. In Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the majority are sipping Bloody Marys at Sunday brunch doing nothing.
We have lost over 40 years of progress in Florida and it’s well past time we fight back.
To quote the unknown lesbian who was arrested at the Stonewall riots and when shoved into the paddy -wagon shouted: “Why don’t you guys do something?”
Please sign onto this Boycott of Florida and share it widely.
Come for a visit. Stay to have your rights and dignity taken away!
In March 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the Parental Rights in Education bill, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (the Bill) is one of the most opressive pieces of anti-LGBT legislation in the United States. So of course Tampa, Florida will be home to the inaugural conference for the swastika sunshine state’s LGBTQ+ welcoming destinations, hotels, businesses, nonprofits, Pride organizations, travel influencers and more. Florida OutCoast Convention (FLOCC) will be held August 1-3, 2023 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown.
Via Yahoo News: “Never before has there been a space for Florida’s tourism and LGBTQ leaders to unite, evolve and flourish as one community,” Rachel Covello, publisher of OutCoast, said in a written statement. A digital magazine and Florida travel blog that highlights Florida’s LGBTQ-inclusive destinations and businesses – the convention this August will provide a welcoming space to ‘FLOCC together’ to develop solutions that will strengthen the Florida LGBTQ tourism industry.”
Despite its truly appalling state government, Florida continues to strangely be a top LGBTQ+ destination
The Florida OutCoast Convention will include general and breakout sessions, keynote speakers, entertainment and an exhibit hall. The conference will also feature Flamboyance, a gala celebrating LGBTQ+ tourism accomplishments throughout Florida. (Which should take about 5 minutes)
