Doctors in Florida Oppose Transgender Medical Interventions for Minors
A new study indicates that while numerous health care organizations endorse the experimental procedures known as “gender affirming care” for minors, most physicians in Florida align with public sentiment favoring restrictions on these interventions.
According to Ian Kingsbury, director of Do No Harm’s Center for Accountability in Medicine, “A strong majority of doctors believe sex-change interventions should be prohibited for minors.”
The research, shared with The Daily Signal, reveals that Florida doctors not only reject these medical interventions for minors but also oppose racial preferences in admissions and the idea that patients receive optimal care from providers of the same race.
This stance contradicts the positions of well-known medical groups like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, their opinions mirror the general public’s views in Florida, as noted in another survey commissioned by Do No Harm.
As Kingsbury puts it, “This overlap in opinion is no coincidence, but a clear call to re-center medicine around common sense and sound science. We cannot allow harmful ideologies pushed by woke activists to compromise the integrity of medicine any longer.”
Do No Harm emphasizes the removal of contested ideologies, such as transgender theory and critical race theory, from medical practices to enhance the quality of care.
Understanding ‘Gender-Affirming Care’
For minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria, typical “treatment” begins with a “social transition.” This may involve encouraging peers to see a boy as a girl, or vice versa. This is often followed by the administration of puberty-blocking drugs—medications also used for chemical castration—then cross-sex hormones to alter physical traits, and eventually surgeries to remove healthy reproductive organs.
Research indicates that cross-sex hormones can lead to serious health risks, including increased chances of cancer, blood clots, and even death.
Even proponents of gender-affirming care have acknowledged—while applying for federal research funds—that there’s no conclusive evidence these procedures yield positive outcomes for young patients. An examination by the Department of Health and Human Services found “extremely weak evidence” that benefits outweigh the risks.
Survey Results
While health organizations generally oppose legislation aimed at safeguarding minors from transgender interventions, both practicing doctors and the public in Florida appear to support such legal restrictions.
The survey posed the question: “Florida has passed legislation that prohibits medical professionals from providing sex-change interventions to individuals under 18. To what extent do you support or oppose that law?”
Responses from doctors showed that 66% either “strongly support” (55%) or “somewhat support” (11%) these laws, with only 11% expressing some opposition. Comparatively, 60% of the public also voiced support for these regulations.
Additionally, there was a shared perspective on requiring trans athletes to compete based on their birth-assigned sex. Three-quarters of the doctors indicated strong (64%) or moderate (11%) support, and the public’s agreement was similarly high at 76%.
Moreover, both doctors and the public expressed alarm over the rising diagnoses of gender dysphoria among minors. Do No Harm cited alarming statistics, indicating an increase from 15,172 cases in 2017 to 42,167 in 2021.
When asked if this trend warranted concern, 64% of doctors responded affirmatively, while only 1% saw it as a cause for celebration. Among the public, 49% agreed it was concerning, with 3% viewing it positively.
Racial Considerations
The survey further explored beliefs regarding racial and ethnic concordance in medical care. A majority of doctors (69%) and the public (78%) deemed the statement—that patients fare better with doctors who share their racial background—false.
Regarding college admissions, 68% of doctors felt applicants should be chosen based solely on merit, even if it results in lower minority admissions. This sentiment was echoed by 59% of the public.
This survey was conducted between May 24 and June 2, 2025, and included responses from 736 licensed physicians and 600 voters in Florida.
