'Mass migration': Pride organizer describes an LGBTQ exodus out of Florida

An exodus of LGBTQ people has started in Florida as they flee the state over Gov. Ron DeSantis' hard-right persecution policies, Pride organizer Danielle Oliviani told the Daily Beast.

New laws are forcing some Pride organizations around the state to cancel their month long celebrations ,which usually start in June, in a climate of fear, particularly in light of new legislation DeSantis signed making businesses that host drag shows liable if children are present, Oliviani, who is in heavily Republican Lake County, said.

“It’s not exactly being welcomed by the community where we’re having it," said Oliviani. "In fact, yesterday I just got a cease-and-desist from them, telling me not to mention them at all. They don’t want this to take place, but we’re gonna persevere ... We’re gonna have this Pride, because we’re fully within our rights to do so.

"And you know, we’re just gonna deal with things as they go. But right now, it’s a mixture of apprehension, fear. Yet, I’m hopeful at the same time.”

The toll on the state's LGBTQ community is still severe, they acknowledged — and it's causing people to rethink living in Florida at all.

Oliviani described a “mass migration” out of the state.

The new legislation directly limiting LGBTQ rights, they added, is “too much.”

DeSantis' war on LGBTQ rights, which began with the "Don't Say Gay" bill barring any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms, is the genesis of his fight with Disney, which criticized the law, prompting him to sign legislation seizing control of their special taxing district, which they then used a series of legal maneuvers to get around. The company is now suing over alleged violations of their First Amendment rights.