Los Angel County bans official travel to Florida over 'Don't Say Gay' law

Contents:

• FLORIDA WANTS GAY TOURISTS. A BILL RTRICTG LGBTQ TOPICS SCHOOLS SENDS THE WRONG MSAGE, CRICS SAY.
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• LARGT U.S. GAY RIGHTS GROUP ISSU FLORIDA TRAVEL ADVISORY
• LOS ANGEL COUNTY BANS OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FLORIDA OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW
• LOS ANGEL COUNTY BANS OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FLORIDA OVER NTROVERSIAL 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

FLORIDA WANTS GAY TOURISTS. A BILL RTRICTG LGBTQ TOPICS SCHOOLS SENDS THE WRONG MSAGE, CRICS SAY.

“There’s a sense of eedom to Florida’s beach, the warm weather and the myriad activi – a draw for people of all orientatns, but pecially appealg to a gay muny lookg for a sense of belongg and acceptance, ” says the Vis Florida page promotg top gay beach, a Pri Gui and LGBTQ-iendly state’s official tourism marketg arm says “gay” a lot s promotnal materials.

But Florida is now the spotlight for legislatn that crics have dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill that was passed this week by the state Senate but has not yet been signed to law by Gov. ” Opponents have said the proposed law uld harm LGBTQ kids, or children whose parents are gay; Print Bin lled “hateful. They’re hopeful that the angry rponse to the bill won’t keep visors om supportg those gay-welg bed-and-breakfasts, bars, rtrants, and cultural Florida cled to ment on the bill and s potential impact on tourism.

HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO

2 ln domtic visors to the state 2019 — or nearly 4 ln people — intified as lbian, gay, bisexual or another orientatn that was not heterosexual. ”“But if anyone actually boytts Florida bee they’re upset about the lack of sex and genr theory stctn our krgarten through 3rd gra classrooms, I’m nfint that our state is better off whout them, ” she Lrdale, the tourism bure that clus gay favor Fort Lrdale and Wilton Manors, has been dog “ser, mted outreach” to the muny sce 1996, Print and CEO Stacy Rter said an terview. “We’re hopg that people n separate the hateful thgs that are gog on Tallahassee om the really progrsive thgs we’re dog here, ” she Covello, CEO of OutCoast, a platform that markets the state as an LGBTQ-clive statn, said she has already heard om some people who have lled Florida homophobic or asked how she uld promote to visors.

“This is the time more than ever to travel to Florida, to be seen, to be heard, to say gay, ” she said avoidg the state would hurt bs like rtrants, shops and hotels that are owned by members of the muny and harm progrs ci that are beg more clive.

“The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is hostile to our muny and bad for the statn, ” he said the statement.

LARGT U.S. GAY RIGHTS GROUP ISSU FLORIDA TRAVEL ADVISORY

”Hunter O’Hanian, executive director of the Fort Lrdale-based Stonewall Natnal Mm & Archiv, said the 2022 bill follows the pattern of earlier anti-gay efforts the state the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. “But at the same time the public policy lears … are givg everyone the msage that beg gay is somethg that is not to be spoken of.

LOS ANGEL COUNTY BANS OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FLORIDA OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW

”O’Hanian said the mm and library, where nearly 40 percent of visors are om out of state, have put out ltle dish ntag ps that say “Say Gay. More than 150, 000 travelers flock to the theme parks, hotels, rtrants and clubs every June for the multiday “GayDays” event.

Vis Orlando v LGBTQ travelers to pay rpects at the former se of the Pulse gay nightclub, where an terim memorial honors the 49 people who were killed a 2016 mass shootg. ”GayDays print Chris Manley said he expects a huge bash this year after skippg the last two bee of the panmic. “This year I’m hopg to see more and more ctom on that say ‘I say gay, ’” he said.

LOS ANGEL COUNTY BANS OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FLORIDA OVER NTROVERSIAL 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

”The news as major LGBTQ-oriented events such as Miami Beach’s Pri and Orlando’s Pri Prom are set to take place later this events – such as the Out & Equal Workplace Summ and Gay Days, which affects many bs Orlando such as SeaWorld, Walt Disney World, Hilton Hotels & Rorts and more – may also be News has reached out for ment om the affected pani.

However, acrdg to a 2023 Gallup poll, 55 percent of Amerins were satisfied wh the acceptance of gay and lbian people, while 38 percent were dissatisfied. Equaly Florida also listed a seri of legislative steps the state had taken regardg the cln of LGBTQ+ ntent the tn said a law dubbed "Don't Say Gay"—barrg teachers om krgarten to third-gra stunts public schools om discsg sexual orientatn and genr inty the classroom—had ma Florida "synonymo wh the anti-LGBTQ+ movement to empower ernment censorship. " The NAACP, long an advote for Black Amerins, joed the League of Uned Lat Amerin Cizens (LULAC), a Lato civil rights anizatn, and Equaly Florida, a gay rights advocy group, issug travel advisori for the Sunshe State, where tourism is one of the state's largt job sectors.