Finally, a Victory for Trans Rights in Florida

The political landscape for trans people and their allies has been getting more and more frightening lately, but today, a ray of hope came from a Florida courtroom. A federal judge issued an injunction against Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, ruling that trans minors can continue receiving gender-affirming care like puberty blockers, despite a statewide ban.

The injunction came after the families of three minors sued the state of Florida over the gender-affirming care ban, which became law last May.

In his decision, the judge slammed the lawmakers responsible for the ban, stating that “gender identity is real” and “Not a single reputable medical association has taken a contrary position” against gender-affirming care. The judge also stated that “there is no rational basis for a state to categorically ban” gender-affirming care. Finally, he saw right through the excuses that lawmakers cooked up to justify bigotry against trans people, stating that the gender-affirming care ban was “an exercise in politics, not good medicine.”

The trans panic is 100% manufactured—but its victims are real

It’s no secret that right-wing politicians have seized on trans people as a way to whip up fear and rally the most bigoted corners of their base. In fact, a conservative strategist told The New York Times that the trans panic was deliberately crafted for just that purpose. Trans people aren’t unfairly dominating women’s sports or assaulting women in bathrooms. They aren’t preying on children or forcing them to undergo surgery. All of those myths were made up to demonize a vulnerable population.

But the effects of the attack on trans people are very, very real. Multiple states have outlawed or tried to outlaw drag, effectively banning being trans in public. They’ve also banned gender-affirming care for trans minors and adults. Trans people are reporting that they’re being forcibly detransitioned, and parents of trans kids have learned that their children can be legally kidnapped. The shock, rage, grief, and fear that trans people and their loved ones are expressing can’t be overstated.

The manufactured war against trans people is nothing less than a human rights crisis. However, the victory in Florida is an encouraging sign—and hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

(featured image: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)