TAMPA, Fla. – During his Wednesday morning speech, Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized gender-affirming care, a medical intervention when an individual’s gender identity is different than the one assigned at birth.
While at a non-denominational Christian private school in Tampa, DeSantis stood on a stage behind a “Let Kids Be Kids” sign to say that a “rogue element of the medical establishment” was engaging in “basically the mutilation of minors.”
DeSantis said the push for the care was by an “ideologically charged small group of folks” and this is why he was signing Florida Senate Bill 254 into law to grant courts temporary emergency jurisdiction to intervene in some procedures.
“That is not based on science; that is not based on evidence,” DeSantis said during his visit to the Cambridge Christian School, a college preparatory school accredited by Christian Schools of Florida.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association support gender-affirming care, which includes the surgical procedures and prescriptions for blockers or hormone antagonists that DeSantis and Florida Republican legislators are standing against.
“This is going to create a way to recover damages for injury or death resulting from mutilating surgeries or these experimental puberty blockers that are given to a minor,” DeSantis said adding, “They go through this, then they get older and this is a huge problem. They should be able to sue the physician who hurt them.”
DeSantis also signed a bill into law that he described as an extension of the Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics nationwide have consistently referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” and an attack on the LGBTQ community.
DeSantis said the new law makes sure that Florida students and teachers will never “be forced” to declare pronouns in schools or “be forced” to use pronouns “not based on biological sex” as part of an “indoctrination” effort known as transgender ideology and gender theory.
“We never did this through all of human history until like what two weeks ago, now this is something? They are having third graders declare pronouns. We are not doing the pronouns Olympics in Florida,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said it was “sad” that he had to also sign Senate Bill 1438: Protection of Children into law. The American Civil Liberties Union referred to it as “The Anti-Drag Show” bill. DeSantis said it was necessary because it was “inappropriate” to have minors at drag shows, which he described as “sexually explicit” and “adult entertainment.”
DeSantis also signed House Bill 1521: Facility Requirements Based on Sex and House Bill 225: Interscholastic Activities into law. He said the laws protect “public prayer” before sporting events and separate facilities based on “biological” gender to protect girls and women.
“We passed two years ago the Fairness In Women’s Sports Act to say we are going to make sure our girls and our women athletes are able to compete with integrity. And you can’t be competing on the men’s team for three years, switch to the women’s, and what, all of a sudden you are the champion? That is not right,” DeSantis said adding the new law “imposes oversight” over the Florida High School Athletic Association.
Activist Luka Hein, who has been traveling around the country to oppose trans care, was among the speakers DeSantis introduced at the school. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., and the Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida were also at the school at 6101 N. Habana Ave.
“While I am not from Florida, I am someone who went through the gender-affirming care industry as a minor,” Hein said adding this resulted in “health issues,” so the limits are not “about hate.”
DeSantis also recently signed bills against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion educational programs, as part of the Republican legislature’s fight against “wokeness” in schools. For that signing event, DeSantis introduced Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist from California who has been traveling around the country to oppose “divisive” critical race theory and DEI in education.
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A spokesperson for DeSantis later announced that he had signed more Florida bills into law on Wednesday afternoon. Here is the list of 21 bills:
- SB 144 – Lactation Spaces
- CS/SB 196 – Guidance Services on Academic and Career Planning
- CS/SB 254 – Treatments for Sex Reassignment
- CS/SB 290 – Public School Student Progression for Students with Disabilities
- CS/SB 598 – Higher Educational Facilities Financing
- CS/SB 1272 – Educational Grants
- SB 1438 – Protection of Children
- CS/SB 7026 – Higher Education Finances
- CS/CS/HB 19 – Individual Education Plans
- CS/CS/HB 225 – Interscholastic Activities
- HB 265 – High School Equivalency Diplomas
- CS/CS/HB 301 – Emergency Response Mapping Data
- CS/HB 389 – Menstrual Hygiene Products in Public Schools
- HB 411 – Residency of Local Elected Officials
- CS/CS/HB 443 – Education
- CS/HB 551 – Required African-American Instruction
- CS/CS/HB 633 – K-12 Education
- CS/CS/HB 1069 – Education
- CS/HB 1521 – Facility Requirements based on Sex
- HB 7031 – A Review under the Open Government Sunset Review Act
- CS/CS/HB 7039 – Student Outcomes
Watch the 12 p.m. report