LGBTQ advocates denounce new Florida bill nicknamed, ‘what is a woman’ by sponsor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A local state representative has filed new legislation he’s calling the “What is a Woman Act.”

State Representative Dean Black (R-Yulee) told Action News Jax the bill intends to define the term “sex” in state statute, tying it to an individual’s chromosomes, hormones and genitalia at birth.

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“Think of locker rooms, sports. There are all sorts of things where the sex matters and it should matter and again, a small group of people who are radical ideologues should not be able to blur those lines,” said Black.

But Equality Florida’s Carlos Guillermo Smith argued the bill would have the impact of legally erasing trans people from existence by prohibiting them from identifying as their true selves.

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“It is a mean-spirited bill that is meant to bully transgender people out of public life and make them leave the State of Florida entirely,” said Smith.

The bill also requires individuals to update their sex on their driver’s licenses to comply with the new definition.

Additionally, it would create new obligations for health insurance companies that offer coverage for transgender medical care to also cover costs of de-transitioning.

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“Because a lot of people who have transgender surgery later have regrets and then need to go in and at great expense try to reverse what they’ve done to themselves and it’s very unfortunate for those people and we don’t want them left without care,” said Black.

Smith countered recent studies have found rates of post-surgical regret among transgender individuals to be as low as one percent or less.

But Smith argued even more concerning than the de-transition coverage requirement, is an obligation for providers to cover what Smith characterizes as conversion therapy.

“Which is a fraudulent debunked practice that tries to convince transgender people that they are not transgender,” said Smith.

Session officially kicks off next Tuesday.

The legislation still has a long road ahead, and has not yet been filed in the Senate.

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