Ron DeSantis Seems to Enjoy Bullying Handicapped and Trans Kids

Florida's rotund governor marked the beginning of summer by bullying handicapped and trans kids-- what a guy.  

DeSantis directed the Florida Health Department to ask the board that regulates physicians in the state to ban gender-affirming health care for trans people under the age of 18. The DeSantis administration is also seeking to ban Medicaid coverage for trans folks of any age—including adults—who need gender-affirming care like puberty blockers, surgeries, and hormonal therapy.  Trans folks of all ages (and all incomes) deserve safe, age-appropriate, gender-affirming health care from trusted medical professionals when they are comfortable receiving it. If the Medicaid change goes into effect, it would negatively impact the lives of at least 9,000 trans folks in the state, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

None of this is surprising coming from the DeSantis administration—DeSantis has already signed into law the infamous Don’t Say Gay bill, as well as anti-trans sports legislation. (DeSantis actually signed that discriminatory sports legislation into law on the first day of Pride Month 2021, so it appears he gets a special kick out of it.)

The next day came reports that Florida threatened the Special Olympics with $27.5 million worth of fines due to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement it had in place for participants of its games scheduled last weekend. As a result, the Special Olympics lifted its vaccine mandate.  ABC News reporter Jay O’Brien was the first to break the news of the state’s intention to fine the organization via Twitter Friday.

It follows legislation DeSantis signed in November that banned vaccine mandates for the state's governmental, educational, and private entities. Instead of moving its games elsewhere, most likely due to lack of time, the organization succumbed to Florida’s threats and announced that it would be lifting its vaccine requirement.  “We don’t want to fight. We want to play,” the Special Olympics said on Twitter.

DeSantis went public with his bullying at a Friday news conference, claiming it would benefit the athletes participating. He failed to note that many early COVID-19 deaths were connected to those with Down syndrome. Studies last year found that adults with Down syndrome are three times more likely to die of coronavirus.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the move to fine the Special Olympics comes the same week DeSantis vetoed $35 million in funding for a spring training facility for the Tampa Bay Rays. Many are connecting the rejection to the organization recently speaking out against gun violence following an increase in mass shootings across the country, including tragic incidents in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas