The state of Florida has been making national headlines because of the increasingly severe culture war being waged by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis against all those he considers “woke.”
In the past few years, the Republican-led state legislature has passed a series of bills — signed into law by DeSantis — that are hostile to the LGBTQ+ community; restricted access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care; repealed gun safety laws; and allowed untrained, unpermitted carry of firearms, which foment racial prejudice. DeSantis has also weaponized state agencies to impose sanctions against businesses large and small (including, famously, the Walt Disney Company) that have disagreed publicly with him on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Things have gotten so bad, Equality Florida, the state’s primary LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization, took the unprecedented step of issuing a travel advisory targeted primarily at the LGBTQ+ community and its friends and allies cautioning them against traveling or relocating to that state. The simple reason: Florida can no longer be considered safe.
The April 11 advisory reads, in part, “Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose a serious risk to the health and safety of those traveling to the state. We regret that these attacks have already led many to flee the state and are driving others to consider relocation. And, in a state whose economy is fueled by visitors from around the world, it is with great sadness that Equality Florida has had to take the extraordinary step of responding to inquiries by issuing an official advisory warning about the risks of travel to the state.”
The advisory lists many of the developments that have made Florida less safe beyond the various anti-LGBTQ+ laws that have been enacted, such as laws restricting abortion rights and reproductive education, and the elimination of African-American studies, as well as an increase of homophobic and racial harassment and violence.
According to Brandon Wolf, EF’s press secretary, his group has encountered a sobering number of anecdotal instances of LGBTQ+ families and individuals who are either planning to or are considering relocating.
“We’ve received word that there’s been an incredible uptick of families who are planning to leave Florida,” Wolf said.
One such family was that of former NBA star Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union, who sold their multi-million-dollar Florida mansion and relocated to Southern California in order to protect their trans daughter, Zaya.
In order to get hard data on how DeSantis’ culture war is impacting LGBTQ+ families in Florida, researchers at UCLA’s White Institute conducted a survey to measure the response of LGBTQ+ families to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The report was released last January, and doesn’t reflect response to the latest round of anti-LGBTQ+ laws to come out of Tallahassee — including expanding the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to cover all school grades K-12.
According to the survey, “9 out of 10 (88%) LGBTQ parents are very or somewhat concerned about the impact that HB 1557 [the “Don’t Say Gay” bill] will have on them and their children, with one in four reporting they have experienced anti-LGBTQ+ harassment since the law was passed and one in five reporting becoming less out in their communities since the law was passed. Parents have considered a variety of coping strategies in response to the bill, including moving out of the state (56%) and moving their children to a different school (11%). Over 16% of LGBTQ parents have already taken steps to move their families to another state.”
The survey also measured various ways LGBTQ+ families were coping with the more challenging political environment, such as becoming more engaged in activism, avoiding the news, and getting support from friends and family, as well as making plans to move out of state. The report also noted that a certain percentage of LGBTQ+ families felt they were unable to relocate as they were caring for older family members or other dependents, or had jobs that they could not find elsewhere.
While Florida still has a number of relatively safe LGBTQ+ enclaves in cities like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, political observers maintain that matters are likely to continue to worsen for the next several years, at least. Despite his faltering presidential ambitions, DeSantis and his supporters in the state legislature maintain deep and widespread support in the bulk of an increasingly red Florida. While Florida’s state constitution limits DeSantis to two terms, whoever the state’s Republicans seek to replace him will likely be drawn from DeSantis’ powerful clique.
Other factors may figure in future Florida elections. For instance, various economic metrics such as unemployment and economic growth, which have not been widely covered by the media, have taken a sharp downturn in recent years, which may ultimately sour many conservatives on Florida’s Republican politicians.
Whether the White Institute report is indicative of a larger LGBTQ+ exodus from Florida is unclear, but what is clear is that more and more people are becoming aware of just how hostile Florida is becoming to its LGBTQ+ residents.
Wolf explains the response Equality Florida has been receiving concerning its advisory.
“We’ve been getting lots of thanks from members of the community for providing an honest look at what it’s like down here,” Wolf said. “They’re grateful, because so many people have shrugged it off. Now maybe they won’t.”