transgender youth

An NPR analysis finds that over the past two years, state lawmakers introduced more than 300 bills targeting trans people. Most of this legislation, 86%, takes aim at the rights of trans youth.

Activists are campaigning against clinics that offer care for transgender teenagers. Some families worry that will only fuel efforts to ban gender-affirming care in their state.

Members of the Florida Board of Medicine and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine joint committee voted on a draft rule that would restrict doctors from providing treatments to trans people under age 18.

Trans patients say social support and hormone treatments are improving their overall well-being. And contrary to what some state officials claim, doctors insist they are not performing surgeries on young kids.

Gov. Ron DeSantis contends that children are prematurely being allowed to pursue treatments that can have harmful lasting effects.

The petition proposes what is known as a “standard of care” that would prohibit patients under age 18 from receiving sex-reassignment surgery and puberty-blocking, hormone and hormone “antagonist” treatments.

Groups criticized a report that the Agency for Health Care Administration is using as a basis for the expected effort to deny Medicaid coverage for the treatments.

AHCA will start a rule-making process related to treatments for gender dysphoria, saying they are “not consistent with generally accepted professional medical standards and are experimental.”

Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Michael Haller says treatments that new Florida guidelines warn against would occur only after considerable and detailed evaluations with patients and families.

Elliot Long says that he and his family have thought about leaving Florida, but realized that staying and “fighting the good fight” would be more impactful.

Studies show that trans affirming care can reduce suicide rates by 73% in transgender youth.

The state news release said “current evidence does not support the use of puberty blockers, hormone treatments or surgical procedures for children and adolescents.”