South Beach, Miami. Photo: Alexander Spatari / Getty Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and St. Petersburg are among several Florida cities that have long been top US destinations for LGBTQ+ tourists.
So it came as a surprise this week when travellers learned that Florida's tourism marketing agency had quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website sometime in the past few months. Business owners who cater to Florida's LGBTQ+ tourists said this week that it marked the latest attempt by officials in the state to erase the LGBTQ+ community. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis previously championed a bill to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and supported a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, as well as a law meant to keep children out of drag shows.
“It's just disgusting to see this,” said Keith Blackburn, who heads the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “They seem to want to erase us.” Visit Florida is a public-private partnership between the state of Florida and the state's tourism industry.
The state contributes about $50 million each year to the quasi-public agency from two tourism and economic development funds. The change to its website was first reported by NBC News, which noted a search query still pulls up some listings for LGBTQ+-friendly places despite the elimination of the section. Representatives of Visit Florida did not respond to contacts from AP this week.
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