Consider ThisSHOTS - HEALTH NEWS As conservative states target trans rights, a Florida teen flees for a better life
What drove Josie to leave Florida is one of more than a dozen states that have passed bans on gender-affirming medical treatments for minors, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and certain surgical procedures.
In Florida, the state medical boards began debating those bans last summer, and they went into effect in March. For months, Josie was terrified she would lose access to the hormones she takes to help her body align with her gender identity.
Most major national medical associations agree gender-affirming care is safe and effective. But the Florida medical boards argued the treatments were "experimental," and barred doctors from prescribing them to minors.
Other families also moving or planning to leave Florida The new laws and anti-trans political rhetoric are hurting kids across Florida, says Jennifer Evans, a clinical psychologist at the University of Florida's Youth Gender Program in Gainesville.
"I'm seeing more anxiety, more depression," Evans says. "Things I hear patients say are, 'The government doesn't want me to exist.' They don't feel safe."
A new home and a "bombardment" of support Josie will finish her sophomore year up north in Rhode Island before returning to St. Augustine for summer break. Her family sees it as a trial run for what could be years of separation.