“We have no choice but to fight this ban to protect our daughter’s health.”

-Plaintiff Jane Doe, challenging the policy on behalf of herself and her daughter, Susan

On March 23, 2023, a group of Florida families filed a lawsuit with the support of GLAD and our partners against a new ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth. The new policies run contrary to the guidance of physicians, medical associations, and researchers.

The rules also unlawfully strip parents of the right to make informed decisions about their children’s medical treatment and violate the equal protection rights of transgender youth by denying them medically necessary, doctor-recommended healthcare to treat their gender dysphoria.

Learn about the Florida families, who are proceeding anonymously in this lawsuit for the protection of their children’s privacy.

GLAD filed this case along with Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

On April 24, the families sought an emergency ruling to resume medical care for their trans children. On May 17, our team asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order immediately blocking enforcement of SB 254, which Governor DeSantis signed into law. SB 254 solidifies the policies into law. 

On June 6, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of Florida’s ban on healthcare for transgender minors and saying the ban is unconstitutional.

On July 21, we expanded the lawsuit to include four transgender adults, asking the court to stop the ban for all trans people harmed by the law. Days later, our adult plaintiffs filed a motion asking for an emergency block on the provisions in SB 254 that deny care to trans adults. The plaintiffs — Olivia Noel, Kai Pope, Lucien Hamel, and Rebecca Cruz Evia — are all facing dangerous disruptions in their ongoing medical care due to the Florida law.

We will be back in federal court to argue the case in December 2023.

Learn more about medical care for trans youth and Florida Boards of Medicine’s ban, and check our latest resource for Frequently Asked Questions.