Once upon a time, Florida used to be thought of as a land of sun, beaches, and of course oranges. Nowadays, Florida is thought of as a dystopian society where racism, homophobia, transphobia and hatred abound. Once a popular place to vacation, travel warnings have been issued due to the attempts made by our governor to stop CRT from being taught in schools. There is also the book banning going on in schools, as well as the blatant attacks on the LGBTQIA community.

It’s being said that sexuality is being taught in schools to children as young as those in kindergarten. I have been working as a paraprofessional in an elementary school for 23 years and I have seen no evidence of this. It’s simply not true.

According to our governor, Florida is infected with a ” woke mind virus. ” As far as I’m concerned, what Florida is really infected with, is close-minded, bigoted individuals who get their hackles up when anyone dares to disagree with them.

Support the LGBTQIA community? Here comes the ” Don’t Say Gay ” bill. Support literacy? It’s time to ban books deemed controversial, or unsuitable by the aforementioned narrow-minded bigots. There are those here that want to rewrite or erase history to their liking. And that is a big mistake. By doing so, they are saying these things never happened. But guess what? they did, and they only way to not repeat what has happened is to learn from it. But how can anyone learn about history if it is denied?

It is these kinds of attitudes that led to the Holocaust, and there are people who deny it ever happened. This is dangerous. it is why there are so many mass shootings almost every day. It’s as if we have learned nothing, and I, for one, do not want another Holocaust to happen.

Florida is a beautiful place with so much to offer. Unfortunately, it has recently gotten an ugly reputation. I have lived here for 31 years and am very saddened to see what’s become of our once great state.

So many freedoms have been taken away. Being told what to teach, what to read, and for women, what we can and cannot do when it comes to OUR bodies. what will they get rid of next? A woman’s right to vote? I shudder to think of the possibility of that.

For all of the advances made, and as far as the world has come, Florida has gone back. Back to the time of Puritans and witch hunts. That needs to stop. We need to once again move forward to a place where everyone is welcome. Because, the sad truth is, these days, not everyone is welcome here. As a Jewish woman, I wonder how long it will be until I am no longer welcome here along with my family. No one should be made to feel this way, but there it is.

I grew up in New York. As children, my sister and I came to Florida with our parents to visit our grandparents. What a wonderful time that was. Swimming, going out to eat or just relaxing at my grandparent’s condo where we stayed. If Florida is going to be forced to go back in time, let it go back to those carefree days when all we had to worry about was getting sunburned or eating too much. Those were the days, and I miss them.