(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Several radical leftist groups have issued warnings about traveling or living in the increasingly red state of Florida.
An LGBT group issued its travel warning following recently-passed legislation in the state that criminalizes child sex-change surgeries and directs libraries to remove pornographic books from children’s sections, the Post Millennial reported.
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.”
BREAKING: Today, we took the extraordinary step of issuing a travel advisory, warning of the risks posed to the health, safety, and freedom of those considering short or long term travel, or relocation to the state. pic.twitter.com/Wt8I5r90w9
— Equality Florida (@equalityfl) April 12, 2023
Nadine Smith, Equality Florida executive director, said in a statement on the group’s website that the state is becoming less free.
“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,” she wrote.
“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,” she gaslighted, misrepresenting much of the legislation the state has passed to protect kids and bolster parental rights.
Equality Florida also claimed that Gov. Ron DeSantis has weaponized state agencies to enact “extremist policies.”
Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ press secretary, noted that the warning is nothing more than an attention-seeking attempt.
“We are not going to waste time worrying about political stunts, but we’ll continue doing what is right for Floridians,” Griffin said.
The Florida NAACP also announced a travel warning for its own state, and urged the national organization to do the same.
Specifically, the Florida NAACP claims that DeSantis and Florida Republicans have targeted black history education and DEI initiatives.
According to Yvette Lewis, the NAACP Hillsborough County Branch president, the state is at a “tipping point.”
There is, however, disagreement among those of the far Left.
Riché J. Daniel Barnes, an anthropology and African-American studies professor at the University of Florida, said that the policy will only serve to reinforce the state’s policies.
“If the people I came here to work with and build community with leave, which they have already started, I am encouraged to do so as well,” she said.
