Global Courant
Parts of a new Florida law signed last month by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis banning transgender treatment for children were temporarily blocked on Tuesday by a federal judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
“Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear,” Judge Robert Hinkle wrote in a 44-page preliminary injunction against parts of SB 254, adding that there was no reason for the state to deny treatment to patients.
The court order prevented the ban from being applied to three children already undergoing treatment whose parents are part of a lawsuit against the state over the law. He claimed they would suffer “irreparable damage” if they were not allowed to continue their treatments.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
However, the ruling does not apply to children who have not yet started treatment.
Hinkle wrote that the ban was not a “legitimate state interest” and that it was a political decision. “Nothing could have motivated this remarkable encroachment on parental prerogatives, except opposition to transgender status itself,” he wrote.
“There has long been substantial intolerance towards transgender people,” he wrote. “Common experience confirms this, as does a Florida lawmaker’s notable reference to transgender witnesses at a committee hearing as ‘mutants’ and ‘demons.'”
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The State Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“And even if they are not based on bigotry, there are people who mistakenly but sincerely believe that gender identity is not real, just a choice,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
After Florida, Texas became the last state to ban puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgery for minors when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed its version of the bill into law last week.
Gender-affirming care has been called “life-saving” by multiple medical associations. The critics express concern about the long-term effects on the small cohort, of which there is limited research, and the ability to consent. (Adobe stock)
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Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
