TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court Thursday refused to reconsider a decision that allowed Florida to restrict treatments for people with gender dysphoria while a legal battle about the restrictions plays out. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in August granted Florida’s request for a stay of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle that blocked the restrictions .
The stay effectively meant the restrictions on treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy could be in effect while the Atlanta-based court considers an underlying appeal of Hinkle’s ruling. Attorneys for a transgender man and the parents of transgender children challenging the restrictions asked the appeals court last month to reconsider the stay. But the panel, in a 2-1 decision Thursday, rejected the request.
Thursday’s decision did not explain the panel’s reasons, but Judges Britt Grant and Robert Luck were in the majority — as they were in the Aug. 26 opinion that granted the stay. Judge Charles Wilson dissented, as he did in August.
Hinkle in June issued an injunction against the restrictions, which were approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2023. Hinkle found, in part, that the restrictions were motivated by “animus” toward transgender people and violated equal-protection rights.
The state appealed Hinkle’s decision and asked for a stay of the injunction. The law prevented minors from beginning to receive pub.
