Your words on the state's latest petty attempt to erase LGBTQ+ Floridians

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¶ The state's latest petty attempt to erase LGBTQ+ Floridians

Florida's official tourism website quietly removed a landing page for the state's LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations sometime in the past four months.

The website for the state's tourism marketing corporation, VisitFlorida.com, had an "LGBTQ Travel" section that no longer exists, according to archived versions of the site viewable on the Internet Archive. The landing page previously featured blog posts and videos related to the state's gay-friendly beaches, Pride events and LGBTQ road trip ideas.

"There's a sense of freedom to Florida's beaches, the warm weather and the myriad activities — a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance," the landing page used to read. "Whether you're a couple seeking a romantic getaway or a modern family searching for kid-friendly fun, here are some LGBTQ-friendly destinations for you, throughout the Sunshine State."

"For years, the LGBTQ+ community in Florida has endured the extremist conservative policy-making of this governor who now resorts to this kind of pettiness to continue his attempts at erasure," said Gina Duncan, The Pride Chamber of Orlando's CEO and President. "The LGBTQ+ community in Florida and around the world contributes millions of dollars in travel and leisure economic dollars to the state. Gay tourism contributes millions of dollars in tax revenue to the state. Apparently, our Governor's obsession with demonizing and ostracizing the LGBTQ+ community is more important than the economic well-being of the state of Florida," Duncan said.

The link where the LGBTQ Travel page had been now directs users to a general "things to do" landing page. It is unclear exactly when the landing page was removed, but it was available as recently as April 19, according to the Internet Archive. It is also unclear why Visit Florida, a nonprofit created as a public-private partnership by the Florida Legislature in 1996, removed the landing page and who was behind the decision.

— Vinnie Silber, Director of Membership and Events, The Pride Chamber of Commerce

¶ For-profit utility companies and the fossil fuel industry

As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies — who we rely upon for our basic necessities like air conditioning and electricity — are keeping us reliant on climate-wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits.

When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives: They power our homes, cool us down when it's hot, and give us heat when it's cold. But too often, they are sources of aggravation: The power goes off when it's dangerously hot or cold out (as in hurricane season), our bills skyrocket, and these for-profit companies threaten to shut off services when we're unable to pay.

We know that climate change raises those stakes even higher, and utility companies themselves play a massive role in exacerbating the climate crisis: 80% of electric utilities in the U.S. run on fossil fuels.

Shifting utilities to clean energy is integral to working toward a safer climate, but these private, for-profit companies would rather maintain the status quo and keep the public in the dark.

— Tom Caffery, Orlando