State Rep. Randy Fine said he intends to introduce legislation that would criminalize the provision of such services after being featured in a Washington Examiner investigation into teenage transgenders. Fine learned of a surgeon catering to children through Tiktok to perform mastectomies and gender reassignment procedures.
“I’ve had enough. Next session, I will shepherd legislation to make it illegal to provide drugs or surgery to a minor for ‘gender assignment.’ Will make it felony child abuse punishable by prison/loss of medical license. This legislation would not affect mental counseling,” Fine said in a Monday tweet.
He said his planned legislation would designate these services to minors as felony child abuse and be punishable by prison time and the loss of a doctor’s medical license.
“We should not have children making decisions that they cannot undo,” Fine said, according to WFLA. “Now, my bill would not say that if you’re a boy and you think you’re a girl that you can’t have people call you a girl, or dress like a girl, or go to mental counseling to talk about it. It simply says you have to wait until you’re an adult.”
The Republican also called out a plastic surgeon in Miami who, he said, uses social media to promote her “gender confirmation” services.
“I don’t think if you’re trying to market your services to an adult … I don’t know about you, I don’t use TikTok. But my 14-year-old does,” Fine argued.
Fine told the Washington Examiner he has had overwhelming support from other legislators and constituents over his proposed bill.
“The No. 1 reaction I’ve gotten from people is, ‘Wait, this is legal now? You can do this?’” Fine said. “People are astounded that this is legal in Florida, that you can cut a 13-year-old’s breasts off. I think it’s child abuse. If you are an adult and get surgery or drugs to become a different person, more power to you. Childhood is a time when you should not be making decisions you can’t undo.”
The state lawmaker has faced criticism for his comments from both transgender health advocates and residents in the past, the report noted.
Andrew Lent, an advocate for Equality Florida, criticized Fine for his terminology, noting the services do not assign gender.
“That’s not even what it is,” Lent said. “It’s gender affirmation. Because people already know what gender they identify with.”
“Not everyone’s journey or transition process is the same,” Lent said. “Everyone’s care looks different, that’s true of nontransgender people. Why all of a sudden are we not trusting doctors?”
Fine intends to introduce the legislation at the start of the next legislative session, which is slated to begin in March 2023, according to a report.
*story by The Washington Examiner
