Anti-Trans Group Falsely Claims Kids Can Transition Without Parental Consent
Image: Binary Australia and Kirralie Smith's (above) false claims have been debunked by RMIT ABC Fact Check. Photo: Binary Australia/Facebook
Binary Australia, an anti-trans group has come under fire for incorrectly claiming that school children are allowed to access gender-affirming medical treatment without parental consent.
The group made claims that it was Victorian government policy and flyers produced by the group were distributed ahead of Victoria’s state election.
On Binary Australia’s website, there is also a page titled ‘Dan Andrews can transition your child without your knowledge or consent.’
Thankfully, RMIT ABC Fact Check caught onto this claim and found that the Victorian government cannot grant a student permission to access medical treatments for gender dysphoria.
The claim has been since debunked.
What the flyer and website are referring to is information taken from a Victorian government website about the LGBTIQ Student Support. The policy outlines that “Schools must work with students affirming their gender identity to prepare and implement a student support plan.”
As such, medical treatments associated with gender dysphoria can only be accessed through a medical professional and still require permission from parents, carers or a judge via a court order.
Current Victorian Policy
Under the current Andrews Labor government, gender-diverse and trans students don’t have the support to express their identity through uniforms and pronouns.
With the policy, schools are required to work with students who are affirming their gender identity and create a support plan, with consultation from the student’s parents or guardian.
A spokesperson for Victoria’s education has said to FactLab trans and gender-diverse students have support as staff are being trained to establish supporting environments.
“Our schools support trans and gender-diverse students to embrace their identity by supporting [them] to express their gender with their uniform and pronouns, and [by] training staff to create supportive spaces for all students,” they said.
Kirralie Smith of Binary Australia
No stranger to controversy or Australian politics, Binary Australia’s Kirralie Smith leads the charge in the false campaign. Her first public appearance in politics came as a Senate candidate for the far-right Australian Liberty Alliance.
The party was a political off-shoot of the Islamophobic Q Society. And despite failing to gain a seat, Smith stayed with the party for a while before later joining Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives.
Smith soon left and then Marriage Alliance to campaign NO for marriage equality, before settling into the anti-trans Binary Australia.
In a video posted on Binary’s Facebook page, Smith states that “it is an absolute, outright lie to say to someone that they can change their sex. That they can become the opposite sex.”
“That a boy can be a girl or a girl can be a boy. It’s a lie to say that trans women are women or that trans men are men.”
