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Florida Proposal Blocks Gender Confirmation Care For Minors

WFSU | By Robbie Gaffney
Published January 24, 2020 at 4:17 PM EST

Under the proposal, Florida health practitioners would be banned from giving transgender kids hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgery. It’s one of many bills LGBTQ rights advocates are targeting in a press conference Monday. 

Transgender people sometimes choose to take testosterone or estrogen to help them pass as a guy or girl. Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Lady Lake) wants to ban health practitioners from offering gender confirmation care to minors. He’s sponsoring the 'Vulnerable Child Protection Act.' Lawmakers in four other states are considering similar proposals. Penalties include a max of 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. However, if the minor is intersex, those rules don’t apply. Senate and House versions of the act have not yet been heard. Equality Florida, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, is holding a press conference to discuss Baxley’s bill among others Monday in the Capitol building starting at 2:00 p.m.

Copyright 2020 WFSU. To see more, visit WFSU.

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Robbie Gaffney
Robbie Gaffney is a recent graduate from Florida State University with degrees in Digital Media Production and Creative Writing. Before working at WFSU, they recorded FSU’s basketball and baseball games for Seminole Productions as well as interned for the PBS Station in Largo, Florida. Robbie loves playing video games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Their other hobbies include sleeping and watching anime.
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