Federal Judge Overturns Key Parts of Florida Ban on Transgender Procedures For Minors

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a series of key provisions of a Florida law that banned sex reassignment surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones for minors, calling parts of the ban unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle on June 11 issued a 105-page order blocking enforcement of key provisions of SB 254, a measure that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in May 2023 as part of a package of bills that his office said aimed to protect Florida’s children from gender politics in schools and “permanent mutilating surgical procedures.” The measure prohibited sex reassignment surgeries and experimental puberty blockers for children. It also required adult patients who were receiving these types of medications or surgeries to give informed, written consent. The law also required any transgender procedures and medications to be provided by an in-person physician rather than by a nurse or via telemedicine, while also creating a pathway for individuals to obtain damages if injured after receiving sex reassignment procedures or medications as children....