Orlando, FL: The Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathy are in the process of passing rules that restrict gender-affirming care and today Representative Anna V. Eskamani submitted her public comments in support of LGBTQ+ Floridians. You can read her comments here.
“As we have stressed multiple times during your public meetings, gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving health care for transgender people to be able to live full and authentic lives. The state shouldn’t stand in between medical providers who know what’s best for their patients, transgender youth, and their parents or families,” said Representative Eskamani. “Rules and laws that deny life-saving health care to transgender people are rooted in misinformation and contrary to expert medical standards that guide gender affirmation.”
The Boards have proposed two rules, which can be accessed by clicking “VIEW NOTICE” here and here.
Both rules would bar future puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, or surgical treatments that “alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics” for youth. Both rules also included an exception for young people already receiving these treatments for gender dysphoria prior to the effective date. However, the Boards disagreed on allowing prospective nonsurgical treatments for gender dysphoria via Institutional Review Board-approved clinical trials. The Board of Osteopathy approved language allowing transgender youth to access gender-affirming care via those clinical trials while the Board of Medicine rejected that proposal, paving the way for different rules governing MDs and DOs (Doctors of Osteopathy).
Comments are being accepted from November 14 until December 5th (21 days). Floridians can submit comments via Equality Florida’s online portal here.
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