The Louisiana NAACP chapter requested a “travel advisory” be issued by the national NAACP and warned that African American and LGBTQ people should use “extreme caution” when visiting the state, according to a letter released on Wednesday.
The NAACP Louisiana State Conference requested that the national organization issue a travel advisory over what the organization calls concerning policies and legislation that targets “African Americans, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, immigrants, and those who exercise their right to free speech,” according to Nola.com. The letter specifically mentions bills that the group claims are “potentially damaging” to each community.
“Well, we want people to know that Louisiana is the sportsman’s paradise, but it may not be the people’s paradise,” said Mike McClanahan, president of NAACP Louisiana State Conference, according to BRProud.
#BREAKING: NAACP of Louisiana formally request a statewide travel advisory following a number of policies that target specific groups including African Americans and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
Details tonight on @BRProudNews https://t.co/K6xcPgMykL… pic.twitter.com/LX9ZQl0kp3
— Sydney Simone (@SydneySimone1) June 7, 2023
One of the bills decried by the group in the letter is House Bill 648, a bill that would ban transgender surgeries for minors. Also mentioned is House Bill 464, a bill that increases penalties for carrying a gun illegally and Senate Bill 159, which allows for some 17-year-olds to be jailed with adults. (RELATED: Norway Decides ‘Gender Affirming Care’ Is ‘Not Evidence Based’ | The Daily Caller)
The letter calls on Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to veto the legislation mentioned in the letter, “in an effort to protect his entire citizenry.”
(NEW ORLEANS, LA – JUNE 30: Governor John Bel Edwards speaks onstage at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival. Getty Images)
The letter comes on the heels of a travel advisory recently issued for Florida by the NAACP in May, which stated, “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
This travel advisory followed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejecting an AP African American studies course that included sections discussing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory.
“Claiming that Florida is unsafe is a total farce,” DeSantis said in a Twitter Spaces interview regarding the NAACP’s advisory, according to Fox News.
“The state may not prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the NAACP Louisiana State Conference’s letter said.
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