On Wednesday, the mother of a transgender girl cried in federal court, fearing that if the ban on gender dysphoria treatment for minors in Florida becomes effective, she will have to separate from her Navy officer husband to seek health care for their 12-year-old child.
The woman, who testified disguised as Jane Doe to conceal her child’s identity, said that after her daughter was granted permission to live as a girl almost eight years ago, she became anxious and distressed. However, after becoming a successful and happy student, the decision was made in consultation with the family doctor after several visits and discussions with her husband.
“I will go to the ends of the earth to help my daughter get what she needs,” the woman testified, pulling tissues from a box. “I wonder, will our family fall apart? Will we have to live somewhere away from our husband?”
This testimony came as a test challenging the ban on medical treatments like hormone therapy or puberty blockers for transgender children in Florida began. The law was advanced by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who campaigned on the issue while seeking the presidency. The law also imposes a ban on transgender care for adults.
Thomas Redburn, an attorney representing families of transgender adults and transgender children, said, “This all started with the governor.”
Since the beginning of the year, DeSantis has signed several anti-trans bills, which critics have accused of “legislative cruelty.” One law criminalizes the use of bathrooms by people who do not match the gender assigned at birth; another imposes a blanket ban on all medical transition treatments for minors; and another allows health care and health insurance providers to deny care based on religious or moral grounds, as previously reported by Business Insider.
DeSantis has also requested data on transgender health care from public universities in the state, causing fear among many about the social or medical consequences.
Due to the laws, some trans individuals have already left the state because they were told they could no longer receive their previous care, regardless of their age.
Attorney Mohammad Jazil, representing the state, said the laws are a matter of protecting people. He said some people have decided to reverse their gender assigned at birth and found that they have suffered permanent harm from their treatment.
Judge Robert Hinkle has temporarily blocked the enforcement of the bans on adult transgender care until the outcome of the case is determined. The case also challenges the bans on adult transgender care that are expected to take effect during the test.
