DeSantis Starts Pride Month by Going After Transitioning Youth Treatments
newsweek.comRon DeSantis' administration is taking aim at transition-related care for children and adolescents in the state, the latest development in a recent wave of bills and other actions targeting treatment for transgender youth across the country.In a letter sent to the Florida Board of Medicine, which was obtained by NBC News, state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo wrote that he has recommended against "certain pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical, and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria," citing guidance released by the Florida Department of Health in April.
He wrote that Florida "must do more to protect children from politics-based medicine.""Otherwise, children and adolescents in our state will continue to face a substantial risk of long-term harm," Ladapo added.The request, which was dated June 2, came days after the start of Pride Month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that coincides with the anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.
The administration's targeting of transition treatment may heighten the backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates against the DeSantis administration, which has taken heat in recent months over legislation commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law.
The law, officially titled Parental Rights in Education, prohibits discussion on certain topics related to sexual identity and orientation in some school grade levels.In the letter, Ladapo mentioned recommendations from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Endocrine Society in favor of gender-affirming care for youth.
