A federal judge in Florida has refused to block a new state law that makes it more challenging for transgender adults to access hormone therapy and surgeries. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s decision comes after a recent appellate court ruling in Alabama regarding gender-affirming care for minors changed the legal landscape on transgender issues.
The Florida law, passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and championed by Governor Ron DeSantis, requires patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria to sign informed-consent forms created by state medical boards. The law also restricts the ordering of hormone therapy to physicians only and prohibits the use of telehealth for new prescriptions. While it barred doctors from ordering gender-affirming care for children, it allowed minors already receiving such treatment to continue under certain conditions.
Parents of transgender children initially filed a lawsuit challenging the restrictions, which resulted in a temporary block on a ban against puberty blockers and hormones for children with gender dysphoria. The lawsuit was later amended to include several adults as plaintiffs, arguing that the law imposed “unnecessary barriers” and “medically unsupported requirements” on trans individuals, creating a “crisis of availability of care” for adults.
Judge Hinkle’s recent ruling cited the Alabama appellate court decision, indicating that the adult plaintiffs had not demonstrated irreparable harm or a strong likelihood of success on the merits of their challenge to the law. He noted that the challenged statute and rules did not prohibit adults from obtaining the treatments they sought.
Despite this decision, attorneys for the plaintiffs emphasized that the case is far from over, asserting that the state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care in the law aim to prevent transgender people from receiving necessary care. They plan to continue challenging the law, which they argue takes away individuals’ ability to make important decisions about their lives.
The case is part of a broader legal and political landscape involving GOP-led states’ efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care, an issue Governor DeSantis has highlighted in his presidential campaign. Florida has also faced legal challenges to its prohibition on Medicaid reimbursement for gender-affirming care, with Judge Hinkle ruling the prohibition unconstitutional while the state appeals the decision.