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Posted: 2024-08-21T22:47:32Z | Updated: 2024-08-21T22:47:32Z

Floridas official tourism website has quietly scrubbed a page promoting local LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations, in what has been widely interpreted as another in a long series of steps meant to intimidate, persecute and marginalize the LGBTQ+ community under the states conservative governor, Ron DeSantis.

VisitFlorida.coms LGBTQ Travel section which featured links to the states top 10 gay beaches and information about LGBTQ chambers of commerce and LGBTQ road trips was last documented as being operative in mid-April by the internet archive site Wayback Machine, as first reported by NBC News on Monday.

SUNSHINE FOR ALL, the page had declared when it was active. Theres a sense of freedom to Floridas 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.

An official reason for the pages removal was not immediately clear. Representatives with Visit Florida did not respond to HuffPosts calls and emails seeking comment. The websites calendar of events still includes listings for upcoming LGBTQ-themed events across the state.