In late August, without explanation, Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism website, removed the LGBTQ travel section from its website. The move came as a shock to the LGBTQ community, which was already leery of traveling to the state after Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and the state legislature enacted a series of anti-LGBT policies.
Credit: Inside the Magic
At first, it was uncertain who ordered the removal of the LGBTQ travel section from the state’s tourism website, but shortly after its removal, the site’s President and CEO clarified the site’s stance. Visit Florida CEO and President Dana Young told reporters that as a taxpayer-funded organization, Visit Florida must “align with the state.” She continued:
Visit Florida, our marketing strategy and our materials, our content must align with the state. Florida has always been and will continue to be a very, very welcoming state.
That is evidenced by the incredible tourism numbers that we presented last week and at this board meeting and Visit Florida is committed to continue that message of being welcome to everyone forward as we move through the next year and through the next many years in our partnership with the state of Florida.
Credit: @My_castle_club via TikTok
Related: Visit Florida Erases LBGTQ Travelers to ‘Align with the State’
However, some LGBTQ-friendly destinations are withdrawing funding from Visit Florida and using alternative methods to reach travelers.
The Stonewall Museum in Fort Lauderdale announced revoking its membership in Visit Florida and requested the tourism website return its membership fees.
The museum’s executive director, Robert Kesten, said the state’s website rarely advocated for the LGBTQ community despite making money off inclusive, friendly destinations. Kesten said:
For a small nonprofit that gets nothing in return for their money, its money we can use better than them. In a little over two years that I have been here, I have applied consistently when we had conferences and the like to speak and give the perspective of the LGBTQ community as a member of the organization. Our requests to participate have never been acknowledged.
Credit: Disney
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However, Florida state Sen.-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith had an even more blunt take on the state’s lack of inclusivity and desire to remove LGBTQ people from its tourism website. Smith said:
The reason Visit Florida took down their page and content welcoming LGBTQ tourists is because Ron DeSantis doesn’t believe LGBTQ individuals should be welcome in the state of Florida. They are willing to do this to the detriment of small businesses who benefit from LGBTQ money.
For now, LGBTQ travelers feel an overwhelming sense of dread heading to the Sunshine State, and this latest move by the state’s tourism website won’t help with that.
If you are a member of the LGBTQ community, how do you feel about Florida’s latest move?
