TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida is poised to ban gender dysphoria treatments for minors. A bill making it law is now on the way to the governor's desk after a final vote in the House on Thursday.
However, the bill almost didn't happen. In these last few weeks, the chambers were at odds with just how far the policy should go.
But with the session ending in less than 24 hours, a last-minute compromise saved the ban from the dustbin.
If signed, it'll be a felony to prescribe hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgery to new underage patients in Florida.
The measure restricts spending state dollars on the treatments and adds hurdles to their access, like bolstering consent. For those minors already receiving the treatments, the bill will direct the state medical boards to create an emergency rule within 60 days of a bill signing to determine how to handle those cases.
Lawmakers were fiercely divided on the issue. During the final debate on the floor, Democrats and Republicans sparred over the provisions and policy's overall goal.
"No one deserves to have essential medical care taken away from them," Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said.
"This is a mental condition," Rep. Dr. Ralph Massullo, R-Inverness, said. "This is not a physical condition."
The final bill is far from everything the House sponsor, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, first wanted. It doesn't include restrictions on private insurance carriers, no limits on changing birth certificates, and no long-term lawsuit access for those seeking damages.
"Some of these other things can be revisited in the future," Fine said. "We have children who are being mutilated and castrated today and that will stop. That's what's important."
The policy and its Republican allies conflict with at least 30 different medical organizations that have offered supportive statements on gender-affirming care. Many consider it beneficial and say it rarely includes surgery.
"This community is being targeted," Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Delray Beach, said. "They need our protection. We need to be their voice."
Skidmore was frustrated the GOP supermajority took the action. She felt it was part of a growing pattern in the Sunshine State.
"The moral police of what people should and shouldn't do with their bodies is abhorrent to me," she said.
Heather St. Amand, who has called Tampa Bay home since she was 12, just moved her family from Florida to a new home multiple states away. She said she moved for the sake of her transgender daughter, who's now 18.
"My husband and I had been talking a lot about wanting to get out of Florida because of the legislation that was passing or being threatened to pass at that point in time," she said. "All I’ve ever wanted was for my child to be happy and healthy and whole."
According to St. Amand, her daughter took puberty blockers when she was 12.
“I’ve spoken with medical professionals that were on our team, and they’re heartbroken that they can’t provide this care, because it’s life-saving care for these kids," St. Amand said Thursday, after the bill passed the legislature.
Though the bill lost some of its teeth, St. Amand said the bill will still hurt transgender people, including those like her daughter who are now adults.
“She wouldn’t be able to access telehealth appointments anymore for gender-affirming care," St. Amand said.
Though she and her family now live in another state, St. Amand — an activist — said she will continue to fight for trans rights in Florida.
As for the bill, the governor’s signature is likely the next step. His name would make the bill’s provisions effective immediately.
