In recent years, more and more celebrities have made Florida their permanent home. Many say that this is because the state has a good climate, low taxes, and business-oriented policies. This is especially true of Miami, Palm Beach, and Tampa Bay. However, for former NBA player Dwyane Wade, none of these advantages are compelling enough to keep him and his family in Florida. Wade suggested in an interview clip that he moved out of Florida because of the state’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
The former Miami Heat player, who is married to actress Gabrielle Union, has a daughter named Zaya, who is transgender.
In the clip, Wade talks to “Headliners” star Rachel Nichols. He told her that he likes how low taxes are in Florida, however, he emphasized that “my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there, so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.”
According to Sports Illustrated, Wade and his family have decided to make California their permanent home.
Travel Advisory
The Florida state government is taking steps to ban gender-affirming care for minors, Medicaid coverage for transgender people, drag performances, public pride events, and is trying to punish the Walt Disney Company for speaking out against the Parental Rights in Education law.
This month, a non-profit LGBTQ group in Florida called ,Equality Florida, started a campaign to fight against these anti-LGBTQ laws and protect the rights of transgender people and drag performers. The group wants lawmakers to turn down these discriminatory bills and instead work on things that will help all Floridians. The group told people not to go to Florida. The reason: a set of hateful laws that target LGBTQ+ people and basic freedoms.
The press secretary for Equality Florida, Brandon Wolf, said that he doesn’t think Florida is safe. “‘What are the risks?’ Is the question we keep getting, he told News 6.” Is it really safe for me and my family to go to the state of Florida right now?”
A report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in 2021 says that LGBT people make up about 4% of the total population of Florida. This means that the state is home to about 828,000 gay and lesbian adults. About 41% of adult LGBT people in Florida are people of color, with 26% being Hispanic or Latino and 11% being Black.
Related: Advocacy Groups Issue Travel Warnings for the State of Florida
