TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Department of Health is out with new guidance on the treatment on gender dysphoria in children and teens.
It says there should be no social gender transition, no gender reassignment and no puberty blockers or hormone therapy for anyone under 18, unless they are diagnosed with certain physical disorders.
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo says guidance recently issued by the federal Department of Health and Human Services "(fails) at the most basic level of academic rigor" and "was never about health care" but instead about "injecting political ideology into (children's health). Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18."
This comes out as State Representative Randy Fine (R-Melbourne) is proposing to make such treatments a felony in Florida.
The LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida came out in opposition to the new guidance, calling it "political propaganda... opposing science-backed health care for transgender kids." It accuses the DeSantis administration of "demonizing life saving, medically necessary care" and asserting "government, not parents, knows best when it comes to health care for our children."
In St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital issued this statement: Johns Hopkins Medicine continues to support all children, including transgender youth who have high risks of depression, anxiety and suicide. We support the American Academy of Pediatrics statement that all children should have access to evidence-based gender-affirming care at developmentally appropriate ages in order to reduce gender dysphoria and improve mental health.
Photo: Canva
Hear an interview with Equality Florida spokesperson Brandon Wolf below.