The ban on gender transitioning for minors is currently in force in Florida. As of Thursday, the new measure from the Florida Board of Medicine prevents minors from receiving gender transition treatments. Furthermore, Republican state legislators in Florida are moving forward with plans to make the restrictions even more stringent.
According to the measure, individuals under the age of 18 in Florida are not permitted to receive puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgeries to address gender dysphoria.Although minors who were already receiving gender-affirming treatment before Thursday can continue to do so, the new regulation prohibits them from undergoing sex reassignment surgeries from here on out.
Southern Legal Counsel, a nonprofit legal organization, has announced its intention to file a federal lawsuit contesting the state’s prohibition. Additionally, the group is actively opposing the Medicaid restriction on transgender healthcare coverage and has a court date set for May 9th.
Elon Musk on child gender transition: "Every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality & identity crystallizes. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18."
Do you agree?
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 16, 2023
Meanwhile, Republican legislators in Florida are pushing forward with a bill that would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to minors and restrict state funds from being utilized to cover the same care for adults. The House companion bill would complementary make transgender healthcare a focal point in custody battles heard in state courts.
BREAKING REPORT: Florida's ban on gender transitioning for CHILDREN UNDER 18 is now in effect..
Do you SUPPORT this law?
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 17, 2023
The companion bill, also known as HB1421, is now in the Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee. Similar to Florida, it would prohibit certain clinical interventions related to gender, including sex reassignment surgeries, puberty blocking, hormone, and hormone antagonistic therapies, for minors. The bill also prohibits expending public funds for gender clinical interventions and changing the sex recorded on a birth certificate except in the case of a scrivener’s error or unresolvable ambiguity of external biological sex characteristics at the time of birth.
You're not allowed to vote until you're 18 because children can't make logical and well informed decisions. But a child is allowed to have life changing gender reassignment surgery. The doctors and politicians approving this should be charged for child abuse. This won't end well.
— Layah Heilpern (@LayahHeilpern) March 17, 2023
HB 1421 “prohibits persons & entities from expending funds for reimbursement for specified clinical interventions; prohibits person’s biological sex from being changed on birth certificate; prohibits gender clinical interventions for minors; authorizes certain persons to refuse to participate in gender clinical interventions; prohibits health insurance policy & health maintenance contract from providing coverage for gender clinical interventions.”
Exceptions to these prohibitions are also provided for certain medically verifiable genetic disorders of sexual development. Physicians providing gender clinical interventions to adults must obtain and maintain professional liability coverage.