Candidates Grilled On Trans Youth In Fiery Brisbane Candidate Forum

Candidates vying for the crucial seat of Brisbane in the upcoming federal election took part in a fiery debate centred on trans youth at a Pride In Politics forum overnight.

The event saw the three candidates grilled on LGBTQIA+ issues by the local community.

However they took the most heat over the recent review into trans healthcare that saw access to hormone treatment and puberty blockers for new patients under 18 halted pending a review.

Brisbane Candidates talk LGBTQIA+ issues and Trans Youth

Wanda DParke hosted the Pride In Politics event which was organised by the Pride Business Network in Brisbane overnight.

The event saw the gay Greens member Stephen Bates who currently holds the seat go up against the former MP and openly gay candidate Trevor Evans as well as Madonna Jarrett from the ALP.

Evans was previously the first openly gay MP elected in Queensland and held the seat from 2016 to 2022.

The seat is being closely watched and considered a key seat in the election, if Stephen Bates secures the seat for a second term he may stand in the way of Labor or the LNP forming a majority government.

Whilst there were many issues debated on the evening, including the impact of the Trump government in the US, the audience put the issue of trans youth front and centre.

When asked about the actions of the current LNP government in Queensland to halt access to hormone treatment and puberty blockers for new patients under 18 while they conduct a review, Stephen Bates and Madonna Jarrett were in agreement.

Bates said it was “a direct attack from the LNP state government on health care and on young people’s access to health care.”

“I think it’s outrageous, and I think it obviously immediately needs to be reversed.”

Madonna Jarrett agreed saying “It is outrageous, and it does need to be reversed.”

“I spent quite a few hours in Open Doors Youth Service recently talking to them about the impact that this decision by the LNP to block this care for people in our community, and they’re telling me that their numbers have increased dramatically.”

“It’s driven by populism, it’s driven by discrimination, it’s driven by people not caring and not understanding about how people in our community live” she concluded.

However Trevor Evans was not backing down from the LNP state governments decision and its effect on trans youth.

“I’ve got to say I’m a little bit shocked to hear the other candidates characterising what’s happened in Queensland the way that they have,” he told the crowd.

“I think it’s actually a little bit reckless. So to be very clear, puberty blockers and hormone therapy have not been blocked here.”

His response elicited an emotion response from an audience member who stood up and yelled “You’re a disgrace Trevor, shame on you, how dare you treat us like this” at Evans before leaving the event.

Despite the outburst Evans maintained his position.

“Everybody who’s had access to those in Queensland continues to have access to them,” he said.

“The reason that there is a short, sharp review into new entrants into the program is because these issues are complex, and they can involve quite vulnerable patients.

“When an organisation like Queensland Health finds that some of the checks and the balances and the careful processes that are there around informed consent are not being met, there is a really huge challenge for an organisation like Queensland Health” he concluded.

Despite not being part of the state government in Queensland Evans was adamant that treatments would continue when the review is completed in 2026.

“Now, it’s not my level of state government, but I’ll predict that once that review is done, I guarantee you that access to these sorts of treatments will continue,” he stated.

“And we can have even greater confidence in the checks and balances and the protections for vulnerable people that wrap around them.”

The federal election will take place on Saturday May 3, 2025.