DeSantis signs bill banning gender related medical procedures for minors

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bill banning medical procedures for transgender minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. 

“In Florida, we are going to remain a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy and kids should have an upbringing that reflects that," said DeSantis at the signing of the bill at the Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. 

Senate Bill 254 bans doctors from providing transgender minors under the age of 18 access to hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and sex reassignment surgeries. Doctors and medical professionals that violate the law could lose their medical licenses and be charged with a felony. 

Additionally, a court could temporarily remove a child from their home if they receive gender-reaffirming treatments, viewing the procedure as equal to a case of child abuse.

The so-called "gender-affirming treatment" usually begins after a minor believes their gender identity does not match their assigned sex and seeks evaluation from counselors. If the parents consent, the minor can be given hormones to address the dysphoria and eventually change their gender through surgery. 

“This will permanently outlaw the mutilation of minors," said DeSantis.

"I mean they're trying to do sex change operations on minors, giving them puberty blockers and doing things that are irreversible to them," the Republican governor added. "We think this is very wrong."

The legislation is part of a package called “Let Kids Be Kids” that includes five bills regarding LGBTQ and transgender issues, covering gender-affirming medical care, restricting which pronouns can be used in schools, prohibiting children from attending drag shows, and forcing people to use certain bathrooms. 

Under the package, teachers, faculty, and students will be unable to use the pronouns of their choice in public schools. The bill states that school policies view “a person’s sex as an immutable biological trait” and claim “it is false” to use a pronoun other than the one in an individual’s birth certificate. 

A separate legislation restricts minor attendance at “adult live performances,” including drag shows. Businesses that allow children to watch the shows could have their licenses revoked. 

Yet another bill prohibits transgender individuals from using a bathroom or locker room that does not match the gender established in their birth certificates while in government buildings, including public schools, prisons, and state universities. 

“A woman should not be in a locker room, having to worry about someone from the opposite sex being in their locker room,” DeSantis said.