Florida’s ban on gender transitioning for minors is now in effect.
It took effect yesterday and lawmakers are already working on making the ban more stringent with stiff legal consequences for medical professionals who violate the ban.
Here’s more via New York Post:
Florida’s rule to stop minors from undergoing gender transition procedures has now come into effect — and Republican state lawmakers are forging ahead with plans to strengthen the restrictions even further.
The Florida Board of Medicine’s new measure — which took effect Thursday — prohibits the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria for anyone in the Sunshine State under the age of 18.
While kids who were already receiving gender-affirming treatment prior to Thursday can continue to do so, they aren’t able to undergo sex reassignment surgeries under the new rule.
This is wonderful news but now that it has taken effect, I full expect lawsuits to start dropping.
Lawmakers are now seeking to make it a felony for anyone to provide gender-affirming care to minors:
Separately, GOP lawmakers are currently advancing a bill through the Florida Senate that’ll make it a felony to provide any such gender-affirming care to minors, as well as ban state funds from being used to cover the same care for adults.
A companion bill has also been introduced in the state House.
This is a huge plus for families who live in Florida or plan on moving to the sunshine state, knowing that their children are now protected.
In somewhat related news, Florida is also following in the footsteps of Arkansas with school choice:
BREAKING: Florida House just passed a bill to fund students instead of systems.
The vote was 83 to 27.
All families would be able to take their children's education dollars to the education providers of their choosing.
This is the way.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) March 17, 2023
It still has to pass the Florida Senate, but DeAngelis noted elsewhere that it has already sailed through committee votes. So it looks quite promising.