Luka Hein’s Testimony on Florida’s Legislation

“My name is Luka Hein and while I’m not from Florida, I am someone who went through the “gender-affirming care” industry as a minor.  

[For] a little bit of background about me, I was a teenager with multiple comorbidities and mental health issues who was struggling. I was put down this path instead of being given the help I actually needed, resulting in the first medical intervention I ever had to be a double mastectomy at 16. 

I was one of the kids that needed a chance to just grow up and get the help I needed. I was one of the kids that needed the adults to step up and do what is right. I’ve worked with kids, and I’ve seen how they experience the world. They experience the world in a very magical and innocent-filled way and introducing kids to these concepts, making them a permanent patient of the medical industry is taking that away from them. Children deserve a chance to grow up whole and to discover themselves in a way that will not link them to an experimental medical industry for the rest of their lives. I will live with the results of what was done to me for the rest of my life, including all the health issues I deal with because of it, but other kids don’t have to now, thanks to Florida.  

I applaud Florida for going through the medical board and protecting children in a more permanent way via legislation. Kids deserve a chance to grow up and that is what is happening today. It’s not about hate, it’s about giving kids a chance to grow up whole. 

Thank you!”