Pritzker invites LGBTQ visitors to Illinois, makes dig at Florida

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Office of Tourism on Thursday made a dig at Florida after that state’s tourism office quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website last month.

“Florida’s decision to disrespect and disavow a whole group of tourists for how they live or who they love is disheartening and raises questions about who’s really welcome in the Sunshine State. Illinois stands proudly with the LGBTQIA+ community and offers valuable travel resources for destinations, experiences, and events —365 days a year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Here in the Land of Lincoln we embrace all that makes each of us unique and we celebrate it with pride. While Visit Florida removed LGBTQIA+ information from their site, we decided to make it even easier to access valuable resources for the community directly on our homepage at EnjoyIllinois.com . Consider this my personal invitation to come Enjoy Illinois, where all are welcome!”

Illinois follows Connecticut’s lead after that state launched an LGBTQ travel campaign, also taking a swipe at Florida.

The change to Visit Florida’s 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.

Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. Nearly 141 million tourists visited Florida in 2023, with out-of-state visitors contributing more than $102 billion to Florida’s economy.

Before the change, the LGBTQ+ section on Visit Florida’s website had read, “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.”

In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted laws removing instruction on sexual orientation in K-8th grade, a ban on “gender-affirming” care such as puberty blockers for minors; requiring people to use the restroom associated with their birth sex; allowing healthcare providers to deny transgender care on religious, moral, or ethical beliefs; and instructed universities to remove curriculum on subjects like critical race theory and gender studies.

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