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Florida: 110,000 Trans* People Under Fire [1]

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Date: 2023-05-24

Occam's Genocide.

Florida recently enacted a set of anti-trans* bills; today, I address the portions of the state’s new Trans* Health Care Ban dealing with restriction of access to hormones or puberty blockers for gender-affirming care.

Trans* Health Care Ban. SB 254 was enacted into law on May 18, 2023. I’ve previously summarized its provisions. There are some provisions that are easy to understand, others are more complicated, and then there are the (un)intended consequences that were wholly foreseeable and are devastating access to care for all people in Florida receiving gender-affirming care—even adults.

When it comes to receiving hormones or puberty blockers, these are the terms of the bill:

Bans any gender-affirming care for minors (including puberty blockers). The ban goes into effect on the Governor’s signature …but the Board of Medicine has 60 lackadaisical days to adopt emergency rules on how/whether a minor already undergoing care can continue to be treated with hormones or puberty blockers. That’s a minimum 60-day gap in care, at best.

Only permits Physicians to prescribe gender-affirming hormones for all patients including adults . Any prescription for hormones has to be made with the patient signing consent forms (that don’t exist yet) after the physician advises the patient of the nature and risks of the treatment… in person. Does it have to be done every time there’s a refill or just once? The language isn’t clear re: those receiving gender affirming care. This will have a catastrophic impact on access to care.



The predictions of gaps in care and dramatic reduction of access to care have quickly come to pass. The legislation has reduced the number of practitioners able to provide care by 80%.

That’s an 80% reduction in practitioners—for adults.

The result? The Williams Institute estimates there are about 110,000 trans*-identified people in Florida—about one-half of one percent of the state’s population of 23 million. About 16,000 of those folks are under the age of 18. In addition to the outright ban for care of those 16,000 kids, the adults are also facing a de facto ban through reduction of access to care. We don’t know exactly how many people are receiving gender-affirming care in Florida, but it’s fair to assume that a sizeable number of that 110,000 have been receiving such care.

So what are the consequences of forced detransition? We’ve never seen it on a large scale like we will be in Florida (and other states) in the coming months and years, but it is likely to be deadly for a significant number of trans* folks. This isn’t hyperbole, it is borne out by solid, recent research:

Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth…Fifty six percent of youth reported a previous suicide attempt and 86% reported suicidality. …Interpersonal microaggressions, made a unique, statistically significant contribution to lifetime suicide attempts and emotional neglect by family approached significance. School belonging, emotional neglect by family, and internalized self-stigma made a unique, statistically significant contribution to past 6-month suicidality. Austin A, et al., Suicidality Among Transgender Youth: Elucidating the Role of Interpersonal Risk Factors, J Interpers Violence. 2002 March; 27(5-6):NP2696-NP2718. doi: 10.1177/0886260520915554. Apr. 29, 2020.

We ACTUALLY KNOW that the forced detransition, political climate encouraging microaggressions, actual aggression, and societal stigma leading to internalized self-stigma will inevitably lead to fatalities.

Death.

This is why we fight like hell everywhere. We want our kids, our trans* folks, ALIVE.

It’s well past time to admit that the GOP wants them dead.

Occam’s genocide.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/24/2171103/-Florida-110-000-Trans-People-Under-Fire

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