June 2024 Update
On June 11, 2024, Judge Hinkle ruled in the Florida District Court in the case Doe v. Ladapo and struck down the majority of restrictions on transgender medicine in Florida. We expect the ruling to be appealed, but for the moment, the specific restrictions that are no longer in place:
- prescriptions must be made by doctors (MDs, not physician assistants (PAs) or nurse practitioners (NPs)
- annual hand x-rays for youth
- DEXA scans for youth
- mandatory mental health assessments conducted only by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist
- in-person visits every 6 months
- suicide assessments every 3 months for youth
- labs every 4 months for youth
- State-created consent forms for youth and adults
- the State cannot prosecute providers for any of the above
We are awaiting analysis regarding the status of the requirement for an in-person informed consent discussion.
Florida legislation and medical board rulings have made accessing adolescent gender affirming care locally very challenging. Current legislation prohibits clinicians from prescribing for adolescents. You can learn more about anti-trans legislation in Florida through these resources:
A team of attorneys from Southern Legal Counsel sued Florida in the Doe v. Ladapo lawsuit. We are hopeful for a positive outcome from Judge Hinkle in the first half of 2024. However, Florida’s attorney general may then appeal to the 11th Circuit Court, which has not supported trans healthcare access.
QueerDoc provides adolescent gender affirming care via telemedicine to families in Florida – no travel required. To learn more, book your free introductory session now. These visits are technically illegal by Florida state law; however, Federal laws also make NOT providing gender affirming care illegal. We believe the Florida state laws are unconstitutional in violation of the 14th Amendment, Title IX, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, and the Bostock ruling. According to the AMA, our ethical obligation supersedes our legal obligation to provide medically necessary, evidence-based, and life-saving care. Our physician is comfortable with the risk. However, we aren’t attorneys and cannot advise you of the legal risks involved in proceeding with virtual gender care in Florida.
GLMA maintains an OFFLINE directory of clinicians who may still be operating within the states despite legislation. Contact them for resources.
Southern Equality is an organization that supports families accessing care outside of their home state. You can connect with them here.
