Florida bills that will alter the lives of transgender people await DeSantis’ signature

Florida lawmakers have sent to the desk of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis a slate of bills that will alter the lives of transgender people in Florida – including their access to health care and everyday amenities.

DeSantis, who is nearing a likely campaign for president in the coming weeks, is expected to sign them.

Lawmakers gave final passage on Thursday to a bill that prohibits transgender children from receiving gender-affirming treatments, including prescriptions that block puberty hormones or sex-reassignment surgeries. Under the legislation, a court can intervene to temporarily remove a child from their home if they receive gender-affirming treatments or procedures. The bill treats such health care options, which are supported by the American Medical Association, the same as it would a case of child abuse.

Another bill, which passed the state Senate on Wednesday, restricts teachers, faculty and students from using the pronouns of their choice in public schools. That bill declares that it must be the policy of all schools that “a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait” and “it is false” to use a pronoun other than the sex on a person’s birth certificate.

The state House on Wednesday also passed a bill that prohibits transgender people from using a bathroom or changing room that matches their gender identity while in government buildings, including in places like public schools, prisons and state universities.

The three bills now await final approval from DeSantis before becoming law.

As he lays the groundwork for his White House bid, DeSantis has made these anti-transgender efforts a focal point of his speeches around the country. He has referred to gender-affirming surgery as “chemical castration” and has often attacked efforts by schools and workplaces to accommodate transgender students and employees as…