Members of Florida's LGBT community and their supporters blasted a rule by the state's health officials that blocked health coverage for "gender dysphoria" treatments. Transgender individuals often avail of these medical procedures to "transition" to their preferred sex.
The new rule put in place by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) took effect on Sunday, Aug. 21. Prior to this, the agency put out a report signed by Tom Wallace, Medicaid director for Florida. The report said treatments such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgeries are neither safe nor effective.
Several legal groups supporting the LGBT community – including Lambda Legal, Southern Legal Counsel, Florida Health Justice Project and National Health Law Program – also denounced the new rule in a statement. They accused AHCA of discrimination and of ignoring public comments in support of Medicaid covering gender therapies.
Despite the condemnation from the LGBT community and its allies, the AHCA found supporters of its decision not to include gender-related medical treatments under Medicaid coverage.
Board-certified pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Matthew Benson cited studies from Sweden and Denmark showing extremely high suicide rates among people who availed of gender-related medical procedures.
"I think the data on which the gender-affirmative model is based [on] is not scientific," said the Jacksonville-based Benson. "We need better data [and] long-term perspective trials where we can look at adverse effects. We need much more robust data to justify these kinds of very robust therapies."
Brock Juarez, AHCA communications director, referenced Wallace's report recommending against such treatments. He pointed out a section in the report stating that several treatments to address gender dysphoria "are not consistent with widely accepted professional medical standards" and "are experimental and investigational with the potential for harmful, long-term effects."
Not all members of LGBT community are against AHCA rule
"AHCA's actions, at the behest of Governor [Ron] DeSantis and his political appointees, are morally and legally wrong, as well as medically and scientifically unsound," wrote the pro-LGBT legal groups. "This rule represents a dangerous escalation in Governor DeSantis's political zeal to persecute LGBTQ+ people in Florida and particularly transgender youth."
Mainstream media (MSM) outlet NBC also joined in the fray, writing that "transgender medical treatment for children and teens is increasingly under attack in many states where it has been labeled a form of child abuse and where Medicaid coverage is barred."
According to NBC, "many doctors and mental health specialists argue that medical treatment for transgender children is safe and beneficial and can improve their well-being." However, the MSM outlet acknowledged in the same sentence that "rigorous long-term research on benefits and risks [for such treatments] are lacking."
There are members of the LGBT community who support AHCA's rule. And unlike critics who parrot MSM claims, these individuals gave their support based on their own experiences.
Former female-to-male transgender Chloe Cole is one such supporter. The California resident began transitioning at 13 years old, but changed her mind when she turned 16.
"I really didn't understand all of the ramifications of any of the medical decisions that I was making," she admitted to Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. "I was unknowingly physically cutting off my true self from my body, irreversibly and painfully. No child should experience what I experienced."
Cole also warned the parents against transitioning their children.
"If you are considering transitioning, please wait until you are a fully developed adult. Transitioning can damage your body and mind in ways that we may not fully understand.
Visit GenderConfused.com for more news about gender-affirming medical treatments.
Watch singer Macy Gray explain why gender reassignment surgeries do not truly change someone's sex.
This video is from the SBN News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
British whistleblowers reveal horrors that come following trans surgeries.
Trans psychologist who helps kids through gender transition now says it’s all "gone too far."
Depopulation twofer: Youth suicide rates are HIGHER now that children are being pushed to go "trans."
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