State health department advises against child gender reassignment measures

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health released its official guidance Wednesday regarding the treatment of gender dysphoria for children and adolescents.

Gender transition surgery and prescription puberty blockers and/or hormone therapy are not recommended to anyone under the age of 18, per the published guidance [PDF].

"The federal government's medical establishment releasing guidance failing at the most basic level of academic rigor shows that this was never about health care," said State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo in a statement. "It was about injecting political ideology into the health of our children. Children experiencing gender dysphoria should be supported by family and seek counseling, not pushed into an irreversible decision before they reach 18."

The published guidance instead recommends "social support by peers and family" as well as counseling from a licensed provider.

It does not apply in cases of genetically or biochemically verified disorder of sex development.

The Department says it "crafted this guidance using published and peer-reviewed data that calls into question the motives of the federal HHS. Guidance of this magnitude requires a full, diligent understanding of the scientific evidence."

Responding to Wednesday's statement, the American Civil Liberties Union called the Health Department's guidance "a desperate effort to sow lies and fear about transgender youth, their parents, and their health care."

The ACLU vowed to defend the fundamental rights of trans youth and their families.