Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a 22-state amicus brief supporting Florida's request to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The request seeks to allow the state to enforce its law regulating sex-modification procedures while the district court’s order enjoining the law is under appeal. The case in question is Doe v. Surgeon General, State of Florida.
Florida, similar to half the states in the U.S. and several European nations, imposes age limits on sex-change procedures. This includes prohibiting puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors intended for gender transition. In June, a federal district court permanently enjoined enforcement of this law, asserting that Florida’s legislature acted out of animus against transgender individuals.
“Idaho is no stranger to the federal government intruding on state sovereignty when it comes to laws protecting minors from experimental, medically unsupported, and increasingly repudiated gender transition procedures,” said Attorney General Labrador. “We are pleased to join Florida’s similar efforts to protect their kids from harm and I hope our experience can support their case.”
The state coalition argued in their brief that the Florida district court did not apply the required presumption of legislative good faith towards Florida’s law. Instead, they claimed it favored organizations like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which supports providing hormonal and surgical interventions for minors identifying as transgender. The brief also cited recently unsealed evidence in Alabama’s case indicating that WPATH's recommendations were influenced by "social justice lawyers" who advised against seeking evidence due to potential negative impacts on policy influence and litigation success.
The Alabama-led brief included attorneys general from Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.