In a surprise move Wednesday morning, Florida’s surgeon general released a memo to health-care workers on gender-affirming care. It advises physicians against prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youths and states that social gender transition — a nonmedical process in which a person uses a name, pronouns and/or clothing that matches their gender identity — should “not be a treatment option for children or adolescents.”

The memo directly contradicts guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on gender transition, as well as best practices as outlined by the country’s largest medical organizations. In a statement published alongside a “fact check” of the evidence, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo questioned the HHS’s guidelines and its motives, accusing it of “injecting political ideology into the health of our children.”