Federal Judge Robert L. Hinkle struck down a Florida legislation that made gender-affirming treatments for children illegal. What had been a victory for Governor Ron DeSantis in mid-2023 now collided with the federal courts. His office criticized the decision, which they described as "wrong."

DeSantis enacted FL SB254 (23R) in 2023 with the objective of prohibiting those under 18 years of age from receiving hormone therapy or puberty blockers. However, the law allowed children already in treatment to continue it with additional restrictions.

However, the judge nominated by Bill Clinton in 1996 understood that Florida Republicans did not promote the legislation in pursuit of improving public health. "Gender identity is real. Over time, discrimination against transgender people will decrease, just as racism and misogyny have decreased," Hinkle said in his writing.

"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," he added.

In turn, and in accordance with POLITICAL, "repealed adult restrictions that DeSantis signed into law just over a year ago. They include requiring that only doctors, as opposed to other medical professionals, prescribe medications for gender-affirming treatment and requiring annual x-rays regardless of the circumstances."

DeSantis' response

The response from the Florida executive came through his spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, who assured that the court was going against the voters of the Sunshine State.

"We disagree with the Court’s erroneous rulings on the law, on the facts, and on the science. As we’ve seen here in Florida, the United Kingdom, and across Europe, there is no quality evidence to support the chemical and physical mutilation of children. These procedures do permanent, life-altering damage to children, and history will look back on this fad in horror,” Redfern said.