A federal judge on Tuesday struck down major parts of Florida’s ban on transgender medical interventions for children.
Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled that “gender identity is real” and that a “widely accepted standard of care” includes puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
In May of last year, Florida banned these hormonal transgender medical treatments for children.
“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,” Hinkle wrote in his order.
Hinkle also nixed two parts of the ban applying to adults. The law required adults to see a doctor in person before starting cross-sex hormones and stated that hormone…
