Federal Judge Blocks Florida’s Ban on Transgender Treatment for Minors

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Florida law that prohibits gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in the northern district of Florida on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, in May. That law codifies rules banning medical care for transgender adolescents established by the state’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, including puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth.

Hinkle, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, said Florida banned treatments that are widely accepted by the medical community.

“Florida has adopted a statute and rules that prohibit these treatments even when medically appropriate,” Hinkle said in his order. “The plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their claim that the prohibition is unconstitutional.”

More than a dozen states have passed laws this year prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors. Lawmakers supporting the bans say they believe the procedures could be harmful to children.

DeSantis’s office and the office of the Florida Attorney General didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The DeSantis administration has previously said the law protects children from harmful drugs and surgeries.

“Florida is proud to lead the way in standing up for our children,” DeSantis said when he signed the bill into law. “As the world goes mad, Florida represents a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”

Seven parents of transgender children filed the lawsuit challenging the new rules in March. They filed an amended lawsuit seeking to block the new law that codifies those rules in May.

“Today’s ruling is a powerful affirmation of the humanity of transgender people, the efficacy of well-established, science-based medical care, and of the rights of parents to make informed healthcare decisions for their children,” lawyers for the plaintiffs said.

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