The Florida Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine had a joint meeting Friday to discuss gender treatment for minors.
In response, about 30 Equality Florida trans community members took a bus out of downtown Orlando to Tallahassee to comment on the boards’ plans.
Last year, the boards voted to ban gender-affirming care in the treatment of minors.
The DeSantis administration has said there’s insufficient evidence that gender-affirming care is safe and effective. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports the practice.
Studies at the National Library of Medicine say 40 percent of trans people have attempted suicide, with the highest percentage among transgender youth due to dysphoria. Additional studies at the library show that gender-affirming therapies can greatly improve an individual's mental health.
Friday's meeting focused on gender dysphoria, which is the unease a person feels because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity.
Sebastian Cook, of Melbourne, is an 18-year-old trans man who boarded the bus Friday and said he's going to Tallahassee to help save the lives of those afraid to speak out.
“This care is life-saving this gender-affirming care," he said. "You take that away from these children who are given the opportunity to have it and you're single-handedly ruining their lives. These kids are going to die.”
Jillian Jenkins a 36-year-old transwoman from Oviedo who was also on the bus, said the state of Florida is standing in the way of a family’s decision to receive treatment.
"One of the most terrifying things you can experience is looking lawmakers in the eyes while they vote to take your rights away," she said. "We’re taking away that choice from families and we’re taking away the ability of some of these parents to love their children unconditionally and give them the care that they need to be happy.”
