A Small Victory In The Sun Shine State While We Lose A Biggy In Ohio

Well the courts gave us a small victory this week.

Federal judge rules that Florida’s transgender health care ban discriminates against state employees

AP News

August 2, 2024

 A federal judge has ruled that Florida’s transgender health care ban discriminates against state employees and violates their civil rights.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled Thursday that the state’s ban violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

The lawsuit was filed in 2020 by three current and former state employees against the Florida Department of Management Services. The employees had challenged the denial of medically necessary treatment for their gender dysphoria under the state’s categorical exclusion of coverage for “gender reassignment or modification services or supplies.”

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Walker wrote in his ruling that health and pension benefits frequently represent a crucial component of an employee’s compensation, so the practical effect of denying or reducing such benefits on the basis of sex is to deny the employee an employment opportunity on the basis of sex. Walker found that the treatment of all medical conditions, including gender dysphoria, should be based on the unique needs of the patient rather than blanket exclusions.

The court will schedule a trial to determine the amount of plaintiffs’ damages.

Hey! All of you Florida voters do you like to pay court and legal fees for your governor’s “anti-Woke” laws? But then we will never know because your governor passed a law keeping cost a secret.

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We lost in Ohio to a Republican judge who has blinders on and ignored the Supreme Court rulings…

Judge upholds Ohio’s gender-affirming care ban; civil rights group vows immediate appeal

AP News

August 6, 2024

An Ohio law that limits gender-affirming health care for youth under 18 can go into effect, a county judge ruled Tuesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said it will file an immediate appeal.

The law bans transgender surgeries and hormone therapies for minors, unless they are already receiving such therapies and it is deemed a risk to stop by a doctor. The law also includes restrictions on the type of mental health services a minor can receive.

State lawmakers in January enacted the law, which also bans transgender athletes from taking part in girls’ and women’s sports, after overriding a veto by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Franklin County Judge Michael Holbrook, in upholding the law, wrote that the ban “reasonably limits parents’ rights to make decisions about their children’s medical care consistent with the state’s deeply rooted legitimate interest in the regulation of medical profession and medical treatments.”

Oh say, what every happened to “Parental Rights” these seem only apply to conservative causes.

The office of Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that “this case has always been about the legislature’s authority to enact a law to protect our children from making irreversible medical and surgical decisions about their bodies.”

Ohio’s governor vetoed the law at the end of 2023 after touring the state to visit children’s hospitals and to talk to families of children with gender dysphoria. DeWine cast his action as thoughtful, limited and “pro-life” — citing the suicide risks associated with not getting proper treatment for gender dysphoria.

Oh what a surprise – A lying Republican. Everything is reversible until they reach the age of consent. The Republicans rely on fake research that doesn’t compare apple to apples.