Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is seeking information on the number of people public universities treated for “gender dysphoria.”
The Jan. 11 memo sent by the Office of Policy and Budget (OPB) requested data about how the universities treated transgender patients, including the number of students or individuals who received medical transition treatment over the past five years, how many treated patients were first-time visitors, how many patients were referred to other facilities and how many had a classified gender identity disorder, according to Politico. The memo was sent to all state university board of trustees chairs.
The office also requested a detailed report on how many students were “prescribed puberty blockers, hormones or hormone antagonists, or underwent a medical procedure,” Politico reported.
“It is the Governor’s constitutional duty as Florida’s chief executive officer to take care that the laws of this State be faithfully executed,” the memo reads. “To carry out this task, the Florida Constitution authorizes the Governor to ‘require information in writing from all executive or administrative state, county, or municipal officers upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.'”
Universities have until Feb. 10 to compile the requested information which does not “contain personally identifiable information or protected health information,” according to the memo.
University of Florida (UF) Health, a medical affiliate of the school, provides gender transition treatment to minors, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported. The medical center is “committed to providing comprehensive primary care, hormone management, behavioral health, surgical services, and more,” according to its Transgender Health Resources website.
The OPB, DeSantis’ office, and the State University System of Florida did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
via wnd