Florida mother fears her family will be devastated as trial on trans health care ban begins

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The mother of a transgender girl sobbed in federal court Wednesday as she contemplated having to move away from her Navy officer husband to get health care for her 12-year-old if Florida’s ban on gender dysphoria treatments for minors is allowed to take affect.

The woman, who testified as Jane Doe to protect the identity of her child, said her daughter went from being anxious and upset to a thriving, happy straight-A student after being allowed to live as a girl about eight years ago, a decision she made with her husband after multiple visits to their family’s doctor.

But as the girl approaches puberty, she fears she will start turning into a boy. Without treatment, she and her family will be devasted, the mother said.

“I will go to the end of the Earth to get my daughter the help she needs,” the woman testified through sobs as she pulled facial tissues from a box. “I think about, will our family get torn apart? Will we have to live somewhere else away from my husband?”

The testimony came as a trial began challenging Florida’s ban on medical treatment for transgender children, such as hormone therapy or puberty blockers, a law pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has campaigned on the issue while seeking the presidency. The law also places restrictions on adult trans care.

“This all started with the governor.” said Thomas Redburn, a lawyer representing trans adults and the families of trans children.

He noted other laws DeSantis has pushed to show the governor and Republican lawmakers have attacked transgender rights, including restricting the use of pronouns in schools that don’t match peoples’ sex at birth.

But lawyer Mohammad Jazil, representing the state, said the law is a matter of protecting people. He said in one case, a person was prescribed hormones after a 30-minute telehealth appointment. And other people have decided to detransition back to their birth sex and learned their treatment has caused permanent damage, he said.

“This case isn’t about overregulation, it’s about under-regulation,” Jazil said.

Judge Robert Hinkle has temporarily blocked enforcement of the law pending the outcome of the trial. The lawsuit also challenges restrictions placed on adult trans care, which are being allowed to take effect during the trial.

At least 22 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and many of those states face lawsuits. Courts have issued mixed…