The Florida medical board committee on Friday approved a prospective rule that will ban medical or surgical gender affirming care for trans youth under the age of 18. The committee’s recommendation will be passed to the board, who will make the official ruling next Friday.
The meeting, open to the public, was met with boisterous and emotionally-charged commentary on both sides of the proposed rule. Uproar ensued when the opportunity to provide public testimony was cut short, with several attendees still awaiting a chance to address the committee.
“I wasn’t allowed to speak at all during the meeting today. And not to toot my own horn, but I do feel like I was one of the qualified people to speak in there as a transgender minor,” Jacob Wiley, a trans teenager, said afterwards at an Equality Florida press conference.
Prior to the ruling, the board heard testimony from those in support and opposition. A number of adults in different stages of de-transitioning spoke in support of the rule, citing multiple mental and physical complications they experienced as a result of gender affirming care. Oppositional testimony came from transgender individuals or trans youth advocates that cited the risk to a youth’s mental health, including increased risk of suicide, if gender affirming care were to be limited or prohibited.
Reporting by ABC News.
