Lucas injects his weekly testosterone shot as part of his hormone therapy on May 29, 2023 in Casselberry, Fla. The Associated Press is not using Eli’s and Lucas’ last names because they fear reprisal. Lucas only has one refill left before he runs out of testosterone. The clinic that previously prescribed his medication has stopped providing gender affirming care after a recent law banned nurse practitioners from being providers.
“My entire life is here. All my friends, my family. I just got a promotion at my job, which I’m probably not to be able to keep,” Lucas, who works in a financial aid office at a college, said. “I’m losing everything except Eli and my pets moving out of here. So this was not a decision that I took lightly at all.”
Another new law that allows doctors and pharmacists to refuse to treat transgender people further limits their options. “There are a lot of people looking for care that we’re no longer legally able to provide,” said Lana Dunn, SPEKTRUM Health’s chief operating officer. Dunn estimates that 80% of trans adults in the state were getting their health care from a nurse practitioner and now have lost access.The law also contains language that she said could scare off doctors who would be otherwise willing to treat trans patients, such as a 20-year statute of limitations to sue over care they provide.