It was a long time coming, but it is now scheduled to begin…
With the mother of a transgender girl testifying that it would be "devastating" if the child could not get treatment, a federal judge Wednesday began a trial in a constitutional challenge to Florida restrictions on such things as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender people.
The mother, a St. Johns County resident identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, was the first witness in what is expected to be a multi-day trial in the challenge to a state law and rules approved by the Florida Board of Medicine and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
The law and rules block transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria, while placing additional restrictions on treatments for adults.
So now the case begins!
During opening arguments Wednesday, Mohammad Jazil, an attorney for the state, said the "state has every right to dictate some of the norms for medical treatment" for gender dysphoria, which the federal government defines clinically as "significant distress that a person may feel when sex or gender assigned at birth is not the same as their identity,"
But Thomas Redburn, an attorney for the plaintiffs, accused the state of "invidious discrimination" against transgender people. He said, for example, the state has not barred puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat other types of conditions.
"The state has singled out transgender people for disparate treatment without any adequate justification," Redburn said.
Redburn also pointed to statements by Republican lawmakers, including the use of words such as "mutilation." He said the state has "decided people should not be transgender."
The
Florida Phoenix wrote,
“The state of Florida did not birth my son; the state of Florida does not know my son. I feel utterly violated as a parent,” Gloria Goe said during her testimony.
Now I would like to point out that the Republicans boast that they are the party of less government, that they are the party to get government off of your back.
One of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Thomas Redburn, emphasized that the restrictions and ban on care violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because they single out transgender people. Moreover, Florida is stripping the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children guaranteed under that same amendment, he said during his opening statement.
[…]
The law and rules reflect the belief that “people should not be transgender” and “the fewer people who transition the better,” Redburn said, citing comments against transgender people from state lawmakers during discussions about the bill. He also pointed to restrictions on transgender people using the bathroom and pronouns that align with their gender identity.
He said all the restrictions stemmed from a “framework that is designed to harm transgender people.” The consequences of untreated gender dysphoria could include self-harm and suicide, Redburn said.
The trial is expected,
The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday and resume next Wednesday through Friday but the attorneys estimated they would only need two more days.
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