April 15, 2023
Your Action is Needed Now: Help stop harmful education-related bills!
The Florida House of Representatives will hear House Bill 1421 and Senate Bill 254 on Tuesday (April 18) at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
Defending our democracy and ending discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community go hand in hand. In the past, the League has fought a number of anti-equality bills and signed on to many amicus briefs to defend the LGBTQ+ community from the wave of attacks on their rights. Many of these laws and cases could have detrimental impacts on the rights of LGBTQ+ people and other underrepresented groups. Today, we're asking for help fighting against legislation that could result in extreme harm to transgender youth in Florida.
House Bill 1421 (and its companion Senate Bill 254) are attacks on Florida children, who have a right to safe healthcare just like anyone else. These bills equate to an extreme example of government overreach into private medical decisions that will inflict harm on individuals experiencing gender dysphoria and prevent them from accessing the health care they need. This legislation is a cruel effort to stigmatize, marginalize and erase the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender youth.
Our allies at the ACLU of Florida have highlighted that the Senate sponsor of this legislation has stated that it is necessary to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors experiencing gender dysphoria because of potential ‘long-term harms’ that could be caused. But under this very same bill, the same prescription medications can be provided to children experiencing early puberty. If these prescription medications were truly harmful, they wouldn’t be allowed for any minors. Obviously, that rationale is merely a convenient pretext for differential treatment.
Let's be clear: HB 1421 & SB 254 undermines a parent's fundamental right to make medical decisions for their child in consultation with their physicians.
In a recently published op-ed, a parent of a trans child weighs in: "There have always been and always will be transgender people, including children. Aren’t decisions about their individualized care best made by their parents? Why is the state looking to make some parents second-class citizens when it comes to parental rights?"
We're urging Florida League members to contact their Representative and encourage them to vote NO on HB 1421 and Senate Bill 254.
Email or call your state Representative and ask they vote NO on House Bill 1421 & Senate Bill 254.
Consider contacting all of Florida's state representatives about your opposition to these pieces of legislation. Click here for a list of all House members contact information.
