DeSantis Sparks National Outrage by Requesting Private Healthcare Data of Transgender Students

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Florida leadership won't leave the LBTQ+ community alone.

DeSantis administration requested a wealth of data on students who receive gender-affirming procedures at Florida colleges.

Top officials with Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, have sent a general request to 12 state colleges for information on the number of people who have received a gender dysphoria diagnosis or treatment on Florida's campuses.

DeSantis is yet to announce what he plans to do with this information.

The Witch Hunt of Our Time

In another case, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected DeSantis' request to "mentally examine" 12-year-old plaintiffs in a challenge to a state rule prohibiting Medicate coverage. The administration then changed course and went after universities.

DeSantis administration said their actions involve "governing institutional resources and protecting the public interest."

DeSantis' request includes a series of inquiries for universities, such as requesting information on the number of students or individuals who underwent gender-affirming medical therapy during the previous five years, including surgical procedures, and where the treatment was sought.

It also inquires how many of those cases were "first-time" therapy appointments or facility referrals.

The DeSantis administration would also want to know about the number of students who have received a medical diagnosis for gender identity disorders. The request also lists the number of people who received prescriptions for hormones or hormone antagonists or underwent medical procedures.

Gender dysphoria is the term used to describe the unease or unhappiness that transgender persons feel when their physicians don't match their gender identity.

In the past, DeSantis has made several statewide judgments on gender-affirming care, such as adopting laws that prevent children from receiving therapies even while medical groups support the treatment. Medicaid billing for gender-affirming medical procedures is prohibited in Florida under DeSantis.

Meanwhile, Equality Florida, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said the request of DeSantis is "incredibly disturbing."

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