Judge Accuses Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Of Spreading False Information In Push To Ban Transgender Health Care

According a federal judge, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has frequently spread false information about doctors “mutilating” transgender children.

Judge Robert Hinkle stated that DeSantis made false claims in a push for a ban against transgender health care to children regardless of the fact that there have been no documented cases of procedures.

DeSantis signed a bill into law in late May that would make it unlawful for healthcare professionals to offer gender-affirming medical care to minors. This medical care included puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgeries.

Hinkle has blocked the law’s enforcement pending the trial’s outcome.

Three families from Florida who have transgender children sued the state.

The DeSantis administration argued that the law would inflict harm onto their children.

Opponents argued that the law would interfere with parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children.

Hinkle told state attorney Mohammad Jazil during a hearing on December 21 that DeSantis described the law as defending children from “mutilation,” when it really entailed the idea of preventing children from receiving care.

“When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements,” Hinkle asked during a hearing. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.”

The law, known as Senate Bill 254, places restrictions on care for transgender adults through the narrowing of the available providers who can administer treatments.

Those who violate this law risk being convicted of a third-degree felony, which is punishable by nearly five years in prison.

“It’s about treating a medical condition; it’s not about targeting transgender individuals,” Jazil stated in regards to this law.

An attorney for the plaintiffs named Thomas Redburn told the judge that the law had disastrous repercussions on transgender children and their families. He declared that it was the outcome of unfair discrimination.

Hinkle wondered if the plaintiffs could offer either proof of DeSantis supporting the law due to his hatred for the transgender community, or if it was inspired by real health concerns.

“Then the question is what do we do about this, and what the state’s decided is, take a sledgehammer and ban it outright,” Hinkle declared.

“You’re almost never blessed with what’s actually in people’s minds,” Redburn replied. “When you put all that together here, you have an unconstitutional statute.”

In June, Elton John criticized the anti-LGBTQ laws in Florida, championed by DeSantis, as a “virus” of anger and homophobia in America.

Back in August, DeSantis also angered Florida high school teachers through his actions of banning sexually explicit written works from Floridian school districts. Hillsborough County took this one step further by having teachers assign only excerpts of William Shakespeare’s works such as Romeo and Juliet, not the plays in their entirety.