COLUMBUS, Ohio — House Bill 68, also known as the SAFE Act, has some of the strictest gender transition care service bans in the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • Federal judge Robert Hinckle called Florida's gender transition care ban unconstitutional because it goes too far

  • Ohio has the second strictest gender transition services ban behind Florida

  • Calling the ban unconstitutional in Florida doesn't change anything in Ohio, but does send a message to other states that with gender transition care bans

But the state that started the conversation and passed the first piece of legislation to ban gender transition care services was Florida.

Now, a federal judge in that state is saying its transgender care ban is unconstitutional. In a 105 page decision, Judge Robert Hinckle ruled the gender transition care ban in the state of Florida goes too far. 

It includes banning puberty blockers and hormonal treatments for minors. It requires adults to only such gender transition treatments from a doctor and bans online gender transition treatments for adults. 

Currently in the state of Ohio, House Bill 68 has been temporarily stayed by a judge in Franklin County. The case is expected to be heard next month. 

According to Spectrum News 1 political analyst Rory Riley-Topping, the decision in Florida does not have a direct impact on Ohio, but is a symbolic victory for opponents of these laws. 

“It’s a symbolic victory. Florida was the first state to pass this sort of transgender ban on health care legislation. So Florida is really the first bill. And so to have that first piece of legislation that other states like Ohio used as a model when crafting their own legislation to have that bill struck down, I think that’s a very symbolic victory for trans rights advocates,” said Rily-Topping. 

Riley-Topping also shared with Spectrum News 1 that because Ohio and Florida are in different circuit courts, any appeal rulings on the case in Florida wouldn’t impact the fate of the law here in Ohio.