Trans activists in the Riverina have slammed the Queensland Government’s decision. Photo: The Curious Rabbit.
The Queensland Government’s temporary ban on children being prescribed puberty blockers in the public system has sparked fierce debate across Australia, with the decision condemned at a pro-trans rally in Wagga.
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said concerns about children in Cairns being prescribed medications that stopped the body from producing oestrogen and testosterone without proper authorisation or parental consent led to his move to halt such treatment, pending an independent review.
This was applauded by lobby group Genspect Australia, a coalition of clinicians and parents who oppose the use of drugs to treat gender-questioning youth.
“It is deeply concerning that Queensland children are being treated with life-changing hormones under a protocol that fails basic quality controls,” group spokeswoman Judith Hunter said.
But a pro-trans rally hosted by Curious Rabbit owner Vickie Burkinshaw at her Wagga venue slammed the decision. She highlighted a speech by Albury-based Greens MP Amanda Cohn that likened it to the actions of Adolf Hitler.
“We live in a very important moment in history,” Ms Burkinshaw said.
“We need to demonstrate we’re not America … we’re not going to put up with this from our politicians.
“We’re not going to go away. You can’t force us to go hiding. We are going to stand up and be counted.”
The protest, led by Greens Riverina candidate Pheonix Valxori, began with a march down Wagga’s Fitzmaurice Street, where protesters chanted in front of locations including Riverina MP Michael McCormack’s Wagga office.
Region reached out to Mardi Gras founder and trans woman Holly Conroy to see if she supported the movement. She said she didn’t even know about it, as nobody from the local Wagga Mardi Gras committee was invited.
Riverina Greens candidate Pheonix Valxori organised the rally, which walked down the main street of Wagga Wagga. Photo: The Curious Rabbit.
Independent candidate for Riverina Jenny Rolfe gave a more nuanced view on the issue.
“I think everybody deserves to be treated with respect, and that the best people to make decisions on these matters are individuals in consultation with their health care professionals,” she said.
“Any policy that’s adopted needs to be driven by evidence, and that means listening to the experts in this space.
“Experts around human development and psychologists who have researched these issues and these matters, are best placed to provide advice about what’s in the best interest of each individual child, but also broadly in terms of policy setting as well.”
Ms Rolfe questioned how far governments should be able to intervene in individuals’ private lives, stating that sufficient evidence should be gathered before an executive decision could be made.
“It has significant impacts on people’s lives, and there has been a lot of research done already about the pros and the cons of early treatment.
“I think that’s something that needs to be decided by individuals in consultation with the experts in the healthcare.”
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