DeSantis plans to appeal federal ruling on gender-affirming care
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to appeal a ruling that calls Florida’s youth gender-affirming care ban unconstitutional.
“It is wrong to mutilate minors. It is wrong,” DeSantis said.
The governor spoke in downtown Tampa on Wednesday while signing the new state budget and took questions from journalists.
“This will be reversed. There’s no question it’ll be reversed,” DeSantis said.
The law was signed in 2023. It banned anyone from using state Medicaid funds for gender-affirming care. It also banned trans minors from surgeries and puberty blockers.
USF professor Katherine Drabiak has seen this argument play out across the United States.
“This is a hot button topic that a lot of states are grappling with at this point. We’ve seen challenges in a number of other states and they’re going in different directions,” Drabiak said.
DeSantis believes Florida will follow a similar path for approval. The governor mentioned how Alabama had its similar law ruled unconstitutional, but it was overturned during the appeals process.
“This has already been decided by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. They upheld Alabama’s law, which was almost identical to Florida’s law,” the governor said.
“We are thankful that equal protection under the law truly means protection for everyone,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said. “Ron’s obsession with the LGBTQ+ community has always been about politics and power, not policy or medical facts.”
It’s unclear when the state and plaintiffs will meet in court for the appeal.
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