TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the Florida House passed House Bill 1639 (HB 1639), which seeks to deny the legal existence of transgender individuals by requiring individuals to identify as their sex assigned at birth instead of their gender on their driver’s licenses and ID cards. The bill also requires health plans to cover the widely discredited practice of conversion therapy and creates additional obstacles for health plans to cover gender-affirming care.
The ACLU of Florida opposes HB 1639.
NR Hines, policy strategist at the ACLU of Florida, responded with the following:
“HB 1639 is harmful, vague, and does nothing to improve the lives of Floridians. It is eerily silent on the consequences for transgender individuals who identify their gender on their driver's license or other government-issued identification instead of their sex assigned at birth.
“It weaponizes state agencies and private insurance companies to threaten the safety and inclusion of transgender people. It is a cruel bill aimed at erasing transgender Floridians out of public life entirely. We have deep concerns about the life-altering impacts on the trans community.
“Last month, we learned of the death of a transgender student after they experienced violence on school grounds in Oklahoma. Nex Benedict should still be alive today. While this violence didn’t occur in Florida, the fear and hate towards trans people that some elected officials are spreading directly leads to these unsafe situations.
“Rest assured that the passage of this discriminatory bill would have a detrimental and real-life impact on the trans community. Thankfully, there is currently no Senate companion bill, and Senate leadership has stated the bill will not be heard.
“We hope this remains true. Trans people belong and deserve the freedom to be who they are."
