- A federal judge has ruled against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-transgender healthcare law, calling it “an affront to the dignity and well-being of transgender youth.”
- The law, which bans transgender students from playing sports that align with their gender identity and prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming care to minors, was found to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
- The ruling is a major victory for transgender rights advocates and a setback for DeSantis, who has been a vocal opponent of transgender rights.
A federal judge on Friday issued a scathing ruling against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-transgender healthcare law, calling it “an affront to the dignity and well-being of transgender youth.”
The law, which was signed by DeSantis in March, bans transgender students from playing sports that align with their gender identity. It also prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming care to minors.
In a 137-page ruling, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida found that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Mizelle wrote that the law “demeans and stigmatizes transgender youth” and “denies them equal opportunities in education and athletics.”
“The law singles out transgender students for differential treatment,” Mizelle wrote. “It burdens transgender students without any justification and causes them harm.”
Mizelle’s ruling is a major victory for transgender rights advocates and a setback for DeSantis, who has been a vocal opponent of transgender rights.
The governor has vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit challenging the law, praised Mizelle’s ruling.
“This is a major victory for transgender youth in Florida,” said ACLU attorney Sarah Warbelow. “This law was cruel and discriminatory, and it is gratifying to see it struck down.”
The ruling is a sign that the tide is turning on transgender rights. In recent years, there has been a growing movement to support transgender rights, and courts have increasingly ruled in favor of transgender plaintiffs.
The ruling is also a rebuke to DeSantis, who has made transgender rights a priority of his administration. DeSantis has signed a number of anti-transgender bills into law, and he has also banned transgender students from competing in sports that align with their gender identity.
DeSantis’s anti-transgender policies have been widely criticized by LGBTQ advocates and civil rights groups.
The ruling is a major victory for transgender rights, and it is a sign that the courts are increasingly recognizing the rights of transgender people.
