LGBTQ group issues travel advisory warning for Florida

From the so-called “Don’t say gay bill” to penalizing venues hosting drag shows and banning gender-affirming care for transgender children. As a result of bills like these, the group Equality Florida issued a travel advisory warning telling the LGBTQ community they may not be safe in Florida.

A warning to those in the LGBTQ community issued by the Civil Rights organization, Equality Florida, presenting the risk for those in the community traveling or living in the state.

“It’s kind of like a wake-up call to kind of let everybody know what’s happening in our state,” said Cori Craciun, the Naples Pride executive director.

The warning was issued in response to a recent state legislature that includes laws the organization calls hostile to the LGBTQ community.

Craciun said the past year has been tough.

“We have to look at things that we haven’t had to deal with before are surfacing now because of this. These bills that are coming out of this, the governor’s or governor’s office, and it’s like we have to fight. We have to fight for our existence,” Craciun said.

And that the community is scared.

“They want to make sure when they move here, it’s safe. I mean, we get calls. My daughter is coming here. Is she gonna be safe I mean, we are in 2023 You know, it’s not 1950,” Craciun said.

Despite the concerns in Tallahassee, Craciun finds hope closer to home with support garnered from the community. That support is why Jessie Housman with Bistro 821 believes people will still come.

“We’re people. We’re accepting of pretty much everybody here as long as you don’t want to hurt anybody. I mean we’re just here to serve customers. We’re not here to judge people or anything like that,” Housman said.

Governor Desantis’ office responded to CBS News in regards to the warning, calling them political stunts.