The event in Brisbane was one of 20 held across the nation calling on the Queensland government to reinstate health care for trans youth.
The event in Brisbane was one of 20 held across the nation calling on the Queensland government to reinstate health care for trans youth.
By Courtney Kruk
February 8, 2025 — 2.52pm
Hundreds of protesters, advocates and trans allies have gathered outside Parliament House in Brisbane today to call on the Queensland government to reinstate care for trans youth.
The rally comes after the LNP government ordered public health facilities to cease offering puberty blocking agents and gender-affirming hormones for all new patients under 18 seeking healthcare for gender dysphoria.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls argued the immediate “pause” was justified on safety grounds, following allegations around the authority for services provided to 17 young people in far north Queensland.
State Labor MPs joined the crowd on Saturday morning to condemn the LNP’s decision, with shadow health minister Mark Bailey delivering a speech on behalf of the party.
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“[It] is disgraceful [that] one of the first acts of the new government is to cut off healthcare for a section of our community,” Bailey said.
“There have been some issues raised about a service in Cairns. If there’s an issue there, it should be looked at … there has been no issue at all raised in relation to the Queensland Children Gender Service.”
St Francis Theological College’s Principal, Reverend Dr Ruth Mathieson, addressed the crowd as both a parent and priest.
“Knowing a little bit about what this long transition process was like for my younger daughter, I am deeply troubled that children will not be able to access the gender-affirming care until 18 [years of age],” Mathieson said.
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“It is a long process with many obstacles … I worry that if there had been additional obstacles or it had been an even longer process, we may not have [my trans daughter] Skye with us.”
Sarah said she was fortunate to have the funds to seek private care for her daughter, who has been on puberty blockers for the past 10 months, but was angry that others did not have access to treatment.
“No one should be denied life-saving care because they cannot afford it … I can’t imagine the mental anguish we would face if my daughter was forced to stop treatment,” she said.
“She is becoming her true self.”
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Hannah, the mother of two trans children, commended the Queensland Children’s Hospital Gender Service for their “thorough and careful” approach.
“This journey through the medical system has been thorough and comprehensive, requiring multiple appointments and assessments over several years,” Hannah said.
“The process is rigorous, professional, medically informed, and above all else, safe … only after extensive evaluations [with gender clinic staff] was the possibility of puberty blockers even considered.”
She added that she believed politicians “fundamentally misunderstand or wilfully ignore” the depth of decision-making by all parties involved in providing and choosing this healthcare.
“The notion that we as parents can simply walk into a clinic and request medication for our children is entirely false and grossly misrepresents the careful, measured approach that healthcare professionals take.”
Queensland’s decision to ban hormone treatment has been criticised by several high-profile groups, including the Queensland Human Rights Commission, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Medical Association Queensland, and Equality Australia, each warning that denying access to services could put young people at risk and cause immeasurable trauma.
Despite the federal government announcing a national review into the prescription of puberty blockers and “cross-sex” hormones last month, the Queensland government has decided to continue with its own.