Federal Judge Rejects Florida Trans Coverage Ban

Calling the state’s policy “invidious discrimination” against transgender people, a federal judge ruled that Florida’s prohibition against Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy is unconstitutional.....MORE

National lobbyists drove anti-trans legislation in Florida, other states

Do No Harm, a nonprofit that launched last year to oppose diversity initiatives in medicine, has evolved into a significant leader in statehouses seeking to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths, producing model legislation that an Associated Press analysis found has been used in at least three states, including Florida.....MORE

Federal judge to weigh temporary halt on transgender health care rules, law

Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken a pincer grip to transgender care by using his administrative power to halt minors from accessing it, prevent state dollars from being used to pay for it, and using his sway over lawmakers to codify the high-profile rules into law.

These changes, which have been roundly criticized as cruel and discriminatory by transgender advocates, will have a key moment in court on Friday.

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Ron DeSantis signs five bills that LGBTQ Floridians call a “slate of hate”

With LGBTQ advocates decrying it as a “slate of hate,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a suite of bills that will prohibit or limit medical care for transgender people, prevent minors from attending drag shows and impose restrictions on which bathrooms trans people can use.....MORE

DeSantis signs bills aimed at transgender care, pronouns and education

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of laws aimed at changing education’s approach to transgender children, bathroom use and pronouns on Wednesday.....MORE

Florida GOP lawmaker apologizes after calling transgender people ‘mutants’ and ‘demons’

During a committee meeting Monday, a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives called transgender people “mutants” and “demons.”....MORE

Florida health official must testify in transgender Medicaid fight, says federal judge

A federal judge has rejected a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to shield a top health official from testifying in a lawsuit challenging the state’s prohibition on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender people.....MORE

Florida bill would make restrooms exclusive to males, females

A bill filed in the Florida House and Senate would make it a crime if a person refuses to leave a bathroom that does not match their sex assigned at birth.

CS/HB 1521, dubbed the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” would make it a second-degree misdemeanor for people 18 years or older to use a restroom or changing facility designated for the opposite sex if they refuse to immediately leave when asked.

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Florida Transgender Community Aided by President Obama

With little of the fanfare or criticism that marked his evolution into the leader Newsweek nicknamed 

“The first gay president,” 

Obama became the first chief executive to say “transgender” in a speech, to name transgender political appointees and to prohibit job bias against transgender government workers.

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