A Protect Trans Youth Day of Action will be taking place across Australia tomorrow with a rally for the North Coast taking place in Lismore at 11am at Pride Corner on the corner of Molesworth and Magellan streets, Lismore.
The rally is calling on the Queensland government to reinstate care for trans youth.
Jackie Turner, Director of the Trans Justice Project (she/her) said, ‘Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy is a politically motivated attack that undermines the right of trans youth to grow up happy, healthy, and with the freedom to be themselves.
‘This Saturday we are taking to the streets all over the continent to call on the Queensland government to reinstate care for trans youth, and make gender-affirming care accessible and affordable for everyone who needs it.
‘The Minister’s decision will halt vital, evidence-based healthcare for 491 young people and their families – many who have been on the waiting list for months, and even years,’ said Turner.
The rally has been endorsed by more than 100 organisations, businesses, and public figures including Amnesty International Australia, Human Rights Law Centre, and Minus 18
16 year old patient Matt (he/him) from Cairns said that, ‘Accessing gender-affirming treatment two years ago changed my life. I’m settled in my life, I’m settled in my body, and I’m a better person for accessing the treatment I needed.’
Peak medical bodies including the The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Australian Medical Association Queensland, and senior members of the The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have condemned the ban and warned that denying vital medical care to trans youth could have devastating consequences.
The day is organised by the Trans Justice Project, a trans-led organisation working to build a future where all trans and gender-diverse people are safe, celebrated, and free.
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