Politicized Healthcare: Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults’ Experiences Navigating Restrictive Healthcare Legislation in Florida

• In Event: 30407 - Trans Life Chances under Institutionalized Violence and Discrimination

Abstract

U.S. state and federal legislation is being enacted restricting gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender and nonbinary/two-spirit (TNB) people. As of September 2024, 26 states banned gender-affirming treatments for TNB youth, with nearly 30% of newly introduced bills restricting care for emerging adults. Such legislation will likely have disproportionate effects on racially/ethnically minoritized and lower SES TNB people, yet there is a lack of empirical research with diverse populations. This study used political determinants of health and intersectionality frameworks to understand TNB emerging adults’ experiences related to healthcare legislation in Florida, specifically Senate Bill (SB) 254. Data consist of in-depth interviews with 105 TNB emerging adults (ages 18-26) living in Florida. Among the sample, 28% were Black, 34% were Latine, 27% were White, 11% were Asian; 33% were transmen/transmasculine, 30% were transwomen/transfeminine, 36% were nonbinary; 42% were low SES. Interviews asked participants’ experiences living in Florida and their access to and utilization of healthcare services. Two primary themes related to SB 254 emerged in the data. First, participants highlighted aspects of SB 254 that impacted their experiences, including increased requirements for the administration of gender-affirming medical treatment; new state-mandated consent forms; and confusion, chaos, and misinformation created by the legislation and its implementation. Second, participants described how SB 254 impacted their access to and utilization of gender-affirming medical treatment, which included gaps and near-gaps in access to hormone therapies; alternative methods of accessing or using gender-affirming medical treatments; and delaying desired gender-affirming medical treatment. This study provides salient data regarding experiences of TNB young adults navigating Florida’s healthcare system couched in a hostile legislative climate, revealing the impact of intersectional social positions on their lives. Study findings have important implications as legislative restrictions continue across the U.S.

Authors

• Shannon K. Carter, University of Central Florida

• Sylvia Stewart, University of Central Florida

• Dahlia Wrubluski

• Elena Cyrus

• Eric Schrimshaw

• J. Scott Carter, University of Central Florida

• Taliaferro A. Lindsay