Ever since De Santis won the Governorship of Florida in 2019, QUEERGURU has lost all sense of pride that this is one of our home States (The other being Massachusetts). Since then, our community has faced regular headlines such as this one in May 2023  Gov. DeSantis Signs Slate of Extreme Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills, Enacting a is -Shattering Number of Discriminatory Measures Into Law.  And also that same year he signs ‘Don’t Say Gay’ expansion and gender-affirming care ban  which expanded what critics call the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law through eighth grade and restricts transition-related care for minors. etc etc

It therefore comes as quite a shock when good news comes out of Florida, and as usual, it’s the Courts that have stood up for our community. A Florida city and county will pay nearly $885,000 after their ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors was struck down. Palm Beach County and the City of Boca Raton have been ordered to pay $884,374 in attorney fees and $659 in costs to counselors Robert Otto and Julie Hamilton. The pair sued, claiming the ban violated their First Amendment rights. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor in 2022, effectively nullifying all similar local bans in Florida.

Conversion therapy, also called “reparative therapy,” has been widely condemned. The World Health Organization says the practice “lacks medical justification and represents a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people,” linking it to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. Every major U.S. medical association has denounced the practice. While the Florida ruling stands, courts in other regions—including the Third, Ninth, and 10th Circuits—have upheld similar bans.

The U.S. Supreme Court is now weighing Chiles v. Salazar, a Colorado case challenging another ban, with a decision expected next June. 

Currently, 23 states and Washington, D.C. prohibit conversion therapy for minors.