JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A trio of bills LGBTQ+ groups argue target their community, particularly trans individuals, were heard for the first time on the floor of the Florida House Tuesday and sparked heated debate amongst lawmakers.
Florida is among a number of Republican-led states considering or passing policies to restrict medical treatment for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria and to make it more difficult for trans adults to obtain care.
For the better part of five hours, House lawmakers considered three bills, which supporters argued aim to protect children and women.
The first one on the list was a bill criminalizing the use of public bathrooms that don’t align with a person’s biological sex in most cases.
READ: Florida lawmakers move forward on state transgender bathroom ban bills
The bill (SB 1674) labeled as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” filed by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, would ban people from “willfully entering” gender-specific bathrooms and changing rooms designated for “the opposite sex.” Violators of this law could face second-degree misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $10,000.
That bill would also require inmates to be housed according to their biological sex and for domestic violence shelters to separate victims by biological sex during overnight stays.
“This is a simple common-sense bill,” said bill sponsor State Representative Lora Plakon (R-Lake Mary).
Democrats questioned how the law would be enforced.
“Do you expect a 16-year-old store clerk to do a genital inspection to confirm whether someone is in the right bathroom?” said State Representative Jennifer Harris (D-Orlando).
Lawmakers also took up a bill prohibiting minors from attending adult live performances of any type.
READ: ‘Attack on us,’ Drag Show community reacts to passing of Florida State Bill 1438
Senate Bill 1438, also named the “Protection of Children” bill, establishes criminal penalties for venues that allow minors to attend such performances and for employees who permit minors into adult shows.
“This bill exclusively deals with performances of an adult nature that children are allowed to attend,” said bill sponsor State Representative Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay).
Democrats expressed concerns the bill’s true aim is to target drag shows.
“These vague bills that we’re passing here they are having negative impacts and chilling effects on communities,” said State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville).
The bill (1438) if passed in the state of Florida could fine restaurants and even take away their business license if they reportedly had adult entertainment in the presence of a child.
Finally, the House took up a bill (HB 1421) banning transgender medical care for minors.
READ: Florida bill banning transgender care for minors and blocking coverage for adults clears first House
“It hurts these children, it hurts their families and it hurts this state,” said Representative Fine.
The House amended the bill, which had already passed the full Senate in a different form.
The amendment also forces minors already receiving treatments to stop by the end of the year, prohibits insurance companies from covering gender treatments for adults, and prevents Floridians from changing the sex on their birth certificate.
None of those provisions were included in the Senate version.
Brandon Wolf with Equality Florida argued the bills, which are among 18 he’s identified as targeting the LGBTQ+ community this year, are representative of a continually escalating assault on LGBTQ+ individuals in the state.
“This is an obsession with other people’s bodies, with the way other people identify. It’s an obsession with using the power of government to stifle and censor people out of society,” said Wolf.
All three bills will be voted on Wednesday.
The bathroom bill still has one more committee stop in the Senate before it will be ready for a floor vote in that chamber.
The ban on gender treatments for minors will have to go to the Senate floor for a second time since the House amended the bill it originally passed.
However, gender-affirming health care for transgender individuals is supported by most major accredited medical organizations. Proponents of the treatment argue that it is medically necessary, effective and safe.
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