This article was originally published by QNews. You can find the original article here.
Right now the world is not feeling like a safe place for trans people, especially trans youth.
The same week the US President started erasing the word transgender and removing the T from LGBT on all government resources and websites, the Queensland government decreed that gender-affirming care should be suspended for all new patients to the Qld Children’s Hospital Gender Service (QCHGS) and all Qld Health clinics who see children. The government announced an inquiry into gender care for those under 18.
This new LNP government seems committed to reversing the advances the state made in trans rights and healthcare before their election. Their primary target? Trans youth.
We know from an independent inquiry last year found the service’s standard of care is excellent. The inquiry recommended the service get better funding and expand to accommodate the waiting list and the needs of patients living in regional areas.
So why would there need to be a new inquiry you might ask? It seems the current government didn’t like the outcome of the previous one.
Puberty blockers are a safety net for trans youth
The Queensland government are citing the now infamous “Cass Review”, commissioned by the UK NHS, as their justification.
That review was the main reason why gender care for trans youth in the UK has now effectively ceased, and no trans kids there can get anything other than counselling – no blockers, no hormones.
The Cass Review has been very widely criticized for many reasons. Among the criticisms was its lack of any consultation with trans youth, their families and the expert clinicians involved in their care.
The Cass Review was at odds with international consensus regarding the safety and efficacy of puberty blockers and misrepresented previous research.
The review appeared to favour conversion therapy as a reasonable alternative to hormone treatment.
Some of the advisory group members for this review were active within anti-trans organisations.
Puberty blockers have been used for decades. We already know they are safe and reversible. They can stop the irreversible changes that trans people want to avoid. But they are only effective if started in early puberty.
Puberty blockers are always prescribed with extensive counselling and close monitoring of physical and mental health and bone density.
We know that puberty blockers provide a safety net for vulnerable young trans people. They provide time for them to receive counselling and further assessment.
Lack of access to these services will cause untold damage to the young people who need to access this care.
State government has placed 491 kids in danger
We know that this is an extremely vulnerable population. They’re already exposed to overwhelming transphobia in society and the media.
There’s an increased rate of poor mental health and suicidal thinking in young trans people who can’t access medical care.
At the time of the government’s announcement, 491 kids were on the QCHGS waiting list.
That’s 491 kids now left with no recourse but to seek expensive private avenues to get help (if they are able). That’s 491 kids this government has placed in danger.
We are talking about a very small proportion of the population who are trans.
They are vulnerable. They have a right to proper medical care from expert clinicians. Trans rights are human rights.
Dr Fiona Bisshop is a former president of AusPATH (the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health), and GP at Holdsworth House in Brisbane.
If you need someone to talk to, help is available from QLife on 1800 184 527 or online at QLife.org.au, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.
