Florida law restricting transgender adult care can be enforced while challenged in court

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A new Florida law restricting health care for transgender people can still be applied to adults while it is being challenged in court, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Judge Robert Hinkle, who previously blocked the law’s enforcement on behalf of minors, ruled that adults seeking to expand his injunction haven’t proven they would be irreparably harmed until the case is resolved.

The law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in May bans any transgender treatment for minors and requires transgender adults give consent to treatment in person and with a physician present. Advocates say that is a problem because much of the care is prescribed by nurse practitioners and/or through telehealth – and that it’s too hard for many patients to get or get to in-person appointments with physicians.

Florida is one of 22 states to adopt a law in the last few years banning gender-affirming care for children. But unlike others, the one signed by DeSantis, a candidate for president, also has provisions aimed at care for transgender adults.