A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that key aspects of Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors and the state’s restrictions on similar care for adults are discriminatory and unconstitutional. The 105-page opinion in the case Doe v. Ladapo, issued by U.
S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of the Northern District of Florida, permanently blocks Florida’s adult and minor gender-affirming care restrictions under a 2023 Florida law that prohibits gender-affirming care for anyone under age 18. That law also allows the state to take temporary custody of children who may be receiving gender-affirming care in the future and places some restrictions on adult care.
“The State of Florida can regulate as needed but cannot flatly deny transgender individuals safe and effective medical treatment —treatment with medications routinely provided to others with the state’s full approval so long as the purpose is not to support the patient’s transgender identity,” Hinkle wrote in the ruling. The judge declared that the state is allowed to regulate but cannot deny care. Hinkle said the state cannot exclude professionals other than physicians from participating in gender-affirming care, even under the supervision of a physician.
Florida’s law prevents registered nurses from providing gender-affirming care and also prohibits telemedicine for gender-affirming care. The judge struck down these two policies. The ruling also blocks Florida’s requirement for annual X-rays and other.
