Florida's Medical Board Voted to Ban Trans Health Care for Minors
Florida’s Board of Medicine just voted to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth despite this care being universally supported by all major medical associations in the United States.
As NBC News reported, the vote was finalized after a tense five-hour meeting last Friday, October 28. Board members now have the green light to begin drafting a rule that would prevent all minors statewide from accessing any transition-related medical care, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgeries.
More from SheKnows
This is devastating news for trans youth who need these treatments to feel at home in their bodies. Numerous studies have linked this medical care to improvements in mental health and reductions in gender dysphoria among trans kids. If and when this new rule goes into effect, trans Floridians under the age of 18 would have to travel out of state with their families to access it.
Florida’s medical board is the first in the U.S. to attempt this sort of ban, although it is hardly the first state-level attack on trans kids’ access to gender-affirming health care. Since 2021, Republican policymakers in dozen of states have proposed legislation that would ban this medical care — and sometimes penalize doctors who provide it — under the guise of “protecting” vulnerable youth from making irreversible decisions. Meanwhile, it is backed by everyone from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Psychological Association.
Click here to read the full article.
“Gender-affirming care is medically safe, life-saving, and supported by every leading medical association, including [the American Academy of Pediatrics],” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis tweeted last Friday. “The Florida Medical Board is using our youth as political pawns.”
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 2022 has already seen a record-high number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures. Many of them take aim at the rights of trans youth, who account for an estimated 18 percent of the 1.6 million trans people in the country.
LGBTQ legal advocates have successfully shot down many of these bigoted bills, but if this news out of Florida is any indication, the fight is not over yet.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in particular has made life hell for LGBTQ youth in the Sunshine State. In April, he teamed up with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to issue a non-binding guidance through the state’s health department denouncing “social gender transition” and transition-related medical care for minors.
And that’s in addition to state’s now-infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bars public school teachers from mentioning sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms.
“The trans community is not unfamiliar with these kinds of attacks,” Alexis Rangel, policy counsel at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), told SheKnows back in August. “So there’s a lot of fear, but there’s also a lot of resiliency.”
Before you go, check out the best mental health apps we love:
Best of SheKnows
29 Celebrities Who’ve Expressed Their Emotions About Roe v. Wade Being Overturned
15 Baking Soda-Free Natural Deodorants That Won’t Irritate Your Sensitive Pits
Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.
For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
