Judge Blocks Florida Transgender Health Law

A US judge has ruled against key parts of a Florida law banning gender-confirming healthcare for minors and imposing restrictions on treatments for adults, deeming it unconstitutional. The law, signed in 2022 by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, also prohibited adults from receiving treatment from anyone other than a doctor and banned online medical consultations for transgender people. Judge Robert Hinkle stated that the state overstepped in restricting puberty-blockers and hormone treatments for minors with parental consent and halted restrictions on cross-gender hormones for adults. Hinkle affirmed that transgender individuals are constitutionally entitled to necessary treatment and compared opposition to transgender rights to historical opposition to minority and women's rights. The state plans to appeal the decision.