TAMPA, Fla — Governor Ron DeSantis was showered with applause Wednesday as he signed several bills into law. They're new provisions that ban gender-affirming care for minors, restrict pronoun use in schools, and require people to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender at birth, among other things.
It's a move that the governor said allows our state to stand up for kids.
"We need to let our kids be kids. We have a very crazy age that we live in. There's a lot of nonsense that gets floated around. And what we've said in Florida is we are going to remain a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy. And kids should have an upbringing that reflects that," he said.
But not everyone is clapping. Leaders with Equality Florida say all of these new laws are bad for the people of our state.
"So it is very much an attack against LGBTQ people," said the group's Deputy Director of Development, Nicholas Machuca
Among the bills signed into law was Senate Bill 254—which bans kids under 18 from accessing gender-affirming surgeries and treatments, punishes doctors for carrying out those procedures, and permits the state to take custody of kids who have had them done.
Citrus, Hernando County
Florida teacher claims she is under investigation for showing Disney movie
"It bans life-saving care for transgender youth," said Machuca, "And it dramatically restricts transgender healthcare for adults across the board."
A group of parents already suing the state board of medicine over its updated care policy for transgender kids filed a motion late Wednesday asking a federal judge to block this new law temporarily.
But as these legal challenges work through the court system, Machuca says the damage to the LGBTQ+ community is already being done.
"We've heard plenty of stories of families with transgender kids or teachers who are transgender, employees who are transgender who are leaving the state right now or they are considering leaving the state," he said.
Late Wednesday, ABC Action News also learned that one of Tampa Pride's most significant events is now canceled due to the bill signings earlier in the day.
The President of Tampa Pride, Carrie West, spoke by phone and told us that the group's "Pride on the River" event is being pulled—because the group "didn't feel comfortable having a public celebration on the waterfront given the current climate."
He said there is a chance the event could be rescheduled, but if so, it would be done at a different venue.
