The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S., joined NAACP and other civil organizations like Equality Florida on Tuesday, issuing a travel advisory for Florida. HRC warned that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants, and gay travelers. While HRC said that it wasn’t calling for a boycott or making a blanket recommendation against visiting Florida, it said it wanted to highlight new laws passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature which are hostile to the LGBTQ+ community, restrict abortion access and allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Last weekend, the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, issued its advisory warning saying the recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are against African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The advisories come as Democrats have ramped up their criticisms of DeSantis ahead of his expected 2024 presidential run announcement. DeSantis' spokespeople reacted to the NAACP travel advisory on Twitter, referring to it as a stunt and "just noise." The Florida Immigrant Coalition also released an advisory warning of the risks associated with relocation or travel to Florida in April.
#Queer Up South Florida & Florida