
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Two Leftist groups in Florida are facing blowback after issuing a travel advisory for anyone considering a visit to the Sunshine State.
Equality Florida – the state’s largest LGBTQ organization – and the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), issued statements that declared the state “unsafe” for certain groups.
Equality Florida included “LGBTQ+ individuals, women, people of color, and other marginalized communities” in this purportedly vulnerable group, while the FLIC added “individuals who speak with an accent and international travelers” to the list.
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTIONS
The statements garnered significant attention from people on the Left, Right and Center of the political spectrum located all over the country.
Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler called Equality Florida a “vile organization” and suggested the statement was a publicity stunt designed to generate money and website traffic.
🚨 Anyone who would take anything seriously (including this ridiculous Travel Advisory) from such a vile organization such as EqualityFL, should definitely NOT travel or relocate to Florida.
— Christian Ziegler 🇺🇸 (@ChrisMZiegler) April 12, 2023
Don’t be sheep for their clickbait & donation efforts. pic.twitter.com/4hO7cvGVwu
The group Gays Against Groomers pushed back on California State Senator Scott Weiner’s claim that “Florida’s experiment with fascism is terrifying.”
“They're banning porn masquerading as educational books,” the group wrote in a tweet. “They're banning toxic ideologies designed to consume children. And they're banning groomers from talking to kids about sex. Leave kids alone, Scott.”
HAHAHAH @equalityfl issued a "travel warning" for gay and trans people 🤣🤡 Did @TheBabylonBee hack your account bro?
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) April 12, 2023
REALITY: Florida has been marked SAFE for children confused by radical gender ideology. https://t.co/OjW67Pu1V6
Blogger Theo Jordan told his 24,000 followers that the statements are “deranged hysterics” and the “verbiage of a petulant brat.”
“These people are so empty and pathetic,” Jordan wrote in a tweet. “They have no human foundation. Just rabid rage.”
“FL has a huge gay population. Areas like Miami culturized that decades ago,” Jordan added in another tweet. “Heck, the Florida Keys are known for it. The Conch Republic is a gay Mecca! And yet Monroe County is red. Miami-Dade is red. These activists just don't get it.”
💯. They make their living by being perpetual victims. As an openly gay man in Florida, I can attest that my life hasn’t changed one bit & literally no one here cares if you’re gay or not. If anything, my life has gotten better under DeSantis. This is all theater & narrative.
— FloridaGayGOP (@ProudGayGOP) April 13, 2023
Some pointed out that Governor Ron DeSantis “won 58% of the Latino vote, including 68% of Cubans” in the November election. Others said they hoped some would take the warning seriously and keep Florida a red state.
I agree with this. Anyone concerned with these issues should flee Florida fast and relocate. I hear WA is nice.
— Julie Barrett (@juliecbarrett) April 13, 2023
Christina Pushaw, the governor’s former press secretary, argued that COVID vaccine mandates pose a greater health and safety threat than anything identified by Equality Florida or the FLIC.
Florida is the #1 destination for international travelers. The only thing “unsafe” is that Biden still forces them to get mRNA shots before visiting the USA.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) April 13, 2023