Florida GOP Rep. Randy Fine called gender-affirming care for transgender individuals “evil” and people who support it are “baby butchers.”
He also compared it to an infamous Nazi doctor who conducted medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
“You all know I am Jewish and I study the Holocaust. … And I will tell you that when I hear this discussion […] and I hear these medicines […] I think of Dr. Mengele who was another doctor,” Fine said, referencing Dr. Josef Mengele. “So I will tell you this, I say these panels are often a predicate of what’s to come. That’s exactly what today was. And I promise you, you’ll like the bill that’s coming.”
The American Jewish Committee blasted Fine on Twitter.
“To compare gender-affirming care to the deranged human experiments conducted by the Nazi Josef Mengele is highly inappropriate. @VoteRandyFine should know better. We urge him to rescind these comments and avoid such comparisons in the future.”
The Brevard County legislator responded: “@ajcglobal should stick to antisemitism and leave the justification of baby butchers to others.”
Fine filled House Bill 1421, titled “Gender Clinical Interventions,” that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors and adults. Under the proposed legislation puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries will be outlawed for trans minors. Meanwhile trans adults would be required to submit a written consent form to their doctors each time they have an appointment, among other restrictions.
Equality Florida slammed the bill.
“This cruel bill is a trans ban. It goes beyond denying us medical freedom to policing who we can be. Republican leadership is saying that from the moment of birth, you should not — and in important ways cannot — be recognized by anything other than your genitals,” said Nikole Parker, Director of Transgender Equality, in a statement. “And from that bigoted place of denying the very humanity of trans Floridians, they are ruthlessly bending the power of government to erase the community altogether. Trans people are neighbors, friends, family members. We exist and we matter. This bill to rip away lifesaving health care, shred insurance coverage, and bar birth certificate access will cost lives.”
Fine tweeted in early March.
“The butchering of children will be illegal in Florida, Florida citizens will not be obligated to pay for the sexual mutilation of adults, and those tricked into this evil will have 30 years to sue those who misled them,” he wrote. “That’s HB 1421 and I am proud to file it.”
House Bill 1421 cleared its first legislative hurdle last week being approved in a 12-5 vote by the House Healthcare Regulatory Subcommittee.
Gender-affirming health care for trans individuals is supported by most major accredited medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.
