A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults.

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults, calling the statute unconstitutional.

Senior Judge Robert Hinkle said the state went too far when it barred transgender minors from being prescribed puberty blockers and hormonal treatments with their parents’ permission. He also stopped the state from requiring that transgender adults only receive treatment from a doctor and not from a registered nurse or other qualified medical practitioner. And he barred a ban on online treatment for transgender adults.

Hinkle said transgender people are constitutionally entitled to the legitimate treatment they need and, quoting the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., compared those who oppose it to those who were once against equality for minorities and women.

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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office blasted Hinkle’s ruling, issuing a statement calling it “erroneous,” and vowing to appeal.

  • @frezik@midwest.social
    5•5 months ago

    Europe as a whole never was “better” than the US, just different. People tended to focus on issues like healthcare and the social safety nets, where most European countries make better decisions than the US. However, when you take individual European countries (since “Europe” isn’t a single united country to begin with, not even with the EU), and look at issues like gay rights, abortion, or even racial issues, the US often comes out ahead.