FLORIDA, USA — The judge who blocked enforcement of a Florida law banning healthcare for transgender minors has declined to expand the block, saying the part of the law restricting care for trans adults can be enforced while the law is being challenged in court.
That provision is what separates the law, which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis back in May, from similar laws in 21 other states. According to NBC News, Florida is the only state to pass laws restricting transgender adults from accessing appropriate treatment.
Although Judge Robert Hinkle declared that "gender identity is real" upon ruling against the ban on care for minors, he said that since adults are not legally banned from access to care, the ones that petitioned to expand his injunction failed to prove that they would be irreparably harmed by enforcement of the law while it faces challenges in court.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, even without the ban, transgender adults find care hard or even impossible to access under the current laws for a number of reasons. Many patients received their gender-affirming care through nurse practitioners or telehealth services, it has become increasingly difficult for patients to access in-person appointments with physicians, and other new laws allow doctors and pharmacists to refuse to treat transgender people, further limiting their options.
Transgender care continues to be a target for Republicans nationwide, despite the fact that it has been available in the U.S. for more than a decade, and it is endorsed by major medical associations.
