Florida medical boards vote to force trans youth to de-transition with new medical ban

A joint committee of the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine has voted in favor of new proposed guidelines that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, which would effectively force transgender minors in the state to de-transition.

The new rules proposed by Florida’s Health Department in April and backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) would prohibit gender-affirming surgical procedures which experts say are almost never performed on young people, medications like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, and “any other procedure that alters primary or secondary sexual characteristics for the treatment of gender dysphoria” for patients under 18. They would also institute a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for adults seeking gender-affirming care.

Gender-affirming care for both adolescents and adults has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and many other professional groups as necessary and frequently lifesaving for transgender individuals. Vice News reported in August that 10 researchers whose work was cited in Florida’s guidance say that their research was misrepresented or distorted to justify denying gender-affirming care.

Last week’s vote occurred after five hours of heated testimony, which Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic’s Alejandra Caraballo characterized as “stacked against trans youth.” Proponents of the ban were reportedly allowed to speak first, some making misleading and false claims. One doctor who testified in favor of the ban falsely claimed that…

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