The governor of what he declares “the freest state in these United States” is once again sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ health department issued guidance advising against gender identity treatment for children and teenagers outside of counseling. It was another mean-spirited effort to profit politically from struggling Floridians.
The guidelines released by the Florida Department of Health recommend against gender-affirming treatment for people under the age of 18, including surgery, prescription of hormone therapy and puberty blockers, which suppress the release of testosterone or estrogen. Florida’s updated guidance also said social transition — things like using a different name, pronouns or style of dress — should not be a treatment option.
As the Tampa Bay Times reported, the state’s guidance runs counter to recommendations from major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. Guidance issued by the Office of Population Affairs, which falls under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says research shows that gender-affirming care like social transitions and hormone therapy can improve the mental health and well-being of transgender and nonbinary children and adolescents.
State surgeon general Joseph Ladapo issued Wednesday’s guidance as a counterpoint to the federal recommendations, saying in a statement that the federal government’s position was “about injecting political ideology into the health of our children.” That’s rich coming from a DeSantis appointee who’s wasted no time parroting the governor’s talking points on COVID-19, battling mask mandates and downplaying vaccines. Nobody is waiting on these two for guidance on sexual identity.
This time, the governor’s spokesperson is right — the guidance is just that, advice that children, their parents and their physicians may heed or ignore. But in a statement, the rights group Equality Florida underscored the danger. “Once again, the DeSantis administration seeks to replace science and the safety of young people with political propaganda,” the group said. “This guidance demonizes life-saving, medically-necessary care, and asserts that the government, not parents, knows best when it comes to health care for our children.”
Children and adolescents already struggle with the challenge of growing up and finding their place in the world. The state should be helping them secure their identities, not erecting barriers in the formative years, or stigmatizing the pain of conflicting feelings as an abnormality or mental illness.
Whether this has a chilling effect on medical professionals, or further confuses families, or serves as a harbinger of tougher action to come remains to be seen. But it’s totally out of sync with what Florida Republicans say about protecting freedom, children, parental rights and the independent judgment of doctors.
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Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman Paul Tash. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.
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