Florida has a ban on gay marriage. There's no state-wide laws protecting the LGBT community from discrimination. Rick Scott is our governor. So why wouldn't an average homophobe assume that once they moved here they'd be able to continue their gay-hating ways freely?
Well, one couple who sought the advice of columnist Dear Abby were apparently shocked when they moved to Tampa and their new neighbors didn't take too kindly to their homophobic ways.
"Unhappy in Florida" writes that she and her husband had moved from a "conservative community" out of state to a very sociable community somewhere in the Tampa-area a year ago. Neighbors in the community take turn hosting get-togethers, but when it was Unhappy in Florida's turn she purposely decided to leave the gay couple and the lesbian couple off of the invite list.
"While they are nice enough, my husband and I did not include them when it was our turn to host because we do not approve of their lifestyle choices," she wrote. "Since then, we have been excluded from neighborhood gatherings, and someone even suggested that we are bigots!"
The letter writer explains that back where she's from people who were "different" kept it to themselves and adds, "I don't feel we should have to compromise our values just to win the approval of our neighbors."
Abby really doesn't have time for Unhappy in Florida's shit.
"From where I sit, you may have chosen the wrong place to live because it appears you would be happier in a less integrated neighborhood surrounded by people who think the way you do," she replies. "But if you interact only with people like yourselves, you will have missed a chance for growth, which is what you have been offered here. Please don't blow it."
Abby doesn't touch on the obvious hypocrisy here, but we will.
If you're going to discriminate against people based on things they can't control don't be surprised when people discriminate against you for the thoughts you can control.
(Of course, here's the part where we point out that we don't believe that Dear Abby checks the letters she receives for authenticity. So who knows if the situation described in the letter actually happened.)
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