DeSantis disseminated misinformation while advocating for a ban and restrictions on trans health care, according to a judge’s statement.

This blog originally appeared at AP News.

In a federal court on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, a transgender girl’s mother broke down in tears as she considered the possibility of relocating away from her Navy officer husband to access healthcare for her 12-year-old.

A federal judge presiding over a case challenging a ban on transgender health care for minors and restrictions for adults observed on Thursday that Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has consistently disseminated misinformation about doctors mutilating children’s genitals, despite no documented cases supporting such claims.

Judge Robert Hinkle remarked to Mohammad Jazil, a lawyer for the state, that the law was presented as a measure to protect children from mutilation, whereas, in reality, it is aimed at obstructing transgender children from accessing healthcare.

Judge Hinkle inquired, “When I’m examining the governor’s motivation, how should I interpret these statements? This appears to go beyond mere exaggeration.”

Hinkle stated that he will issue a ruling in the coming year regarding whether the Legislature, the Department of Health, and presidential candidate DeSantis intentionally singled out transgender individuals with the new law. Expressing some doubt about the state’s motives, he did so as lawyers presented their concluding arguments.

The trial revolves around contesting Florida’s prohibition on medical interventions for transgender children, encompassing treatments like hormone therapy or puberty blockers—legislation championed by DeSantis in his presidential bid. The law also imposes limitations on transgender healthcare for adults.

Jazil argued that the intent behind the law was primarily to ensure public safety in an area that requires greater oversight and can have lasting consequences.

“It’s about addressing a medical condition; it’s not about singling out transgender individuals,” Jazil stated.

Jazil argued that if the state intended to target transgender people, it could have prohibited all treatments for both adults and children. Hinkle promptly countered that defending such a law would pose challenges.

Hinkle, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, has temporarily halted the enforcement of the law concerning minors until the trial concludes. The legal challenge also questions restrictions on adult transgender care, which have been permitted to be in effect during the trial.

Laws limiting or prohibiting gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors have been enacted in at least 22 states. Several of these states are confronting legal challenges, and court decisions have been varied. The initial law in Arkansas, the first of its kind, was invalidated by a federal judge who asserted that the prohibition on care violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families.

The enforcement of similar laws has been blocked in two states aside from Florida. In seven other states, enforcement is either currently allowed or set to go into effect soon.

Thomas Redburn, representing trans adults and families of trans children, argued that Governor DeSantis and the Legislature have consistently targeted transgender people. He pointed to recent laws affecting the community, such as restrictions on pronoun use and the teaching of gender identification in schools, regulations on public bathrooms, and the prohibition of trans girls from participating in girls’ sports.