The Facts About Transgender Healthcare — And Why We All Benefit

NATALIE FELIKS

Recently, the newly-elected Queensland government made the shocking decision to restrict healthcare for new transgender patients under 18. Health Minister Tim Nicholls made the snap announcement on January 28, also committing to a review of the evidence for hormone therapies for “children with gender dysphoria”.

The federal government responded by announcing a national review into transgender healthcare for under-18s, to be completed in mid-2026.

This announcement provoked a massive backlash from politicians, doctors, and the broader public. Dr Nick Yim, president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, criticised the decision as “ideological” and contrary to the findings of an independent review last year. 

A snap rally, organised by prominent transgender activists and parents of transgender kids, was immediately called, inspiring over 150 people to gather outside the office of Tim Nicholls to protest this decision, including federal Greens MP Stephen Bates.

Following this, national rallies were held were thousands gathered to show their support on The Protect Trans Youth National Day Of Action.

There are fascinating things about this decision. For one, Dr Yim states, it goes against the expert advice. An independent six-month review of Queensland Children’s Gender Service last year found that staff dedication was “commendable”, treatments were effective, and that the services should be expanded, not halted, due to long wait-lists. Even Nicholls himself noted that there were around 500 people on the wait-lists for the treatments at the time of this halt, and thus hundreds of children were having their healthcare disrupted.

Secondly, this decision goes against popular opinion. An Ipsos poll in June 2023 found that a whopping 79% of respondents agree that transgender people should be protected from discrimination and 57% agree that transgender teenagers should be able to receive gender affirming care. In the previous federal election, when the Liberal Party pre-selected prominent anti-trans campaigner Katherine Deves as their candidate for the formerly safe Liberal seat of Warringah, it led to the Liberals losing over 5% of their primary vote. Teal candidate Zali Steggall, who supports transgender rights, saw her vote share increase.

All the analysis shows that transphobia isn’t a vote winner, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton clearly knows this. After members of his leadership team called the Coalition to “lean into” the transgender debate, he shut down the suggestions, simply saying, “We don’t have any plans to change our position in relation to that issue.”

However, if transgender rights is so politically unpopular, and the expert advice is advocating for an expanded transgender healthcare services, then what motivated these decisions?

Well, it’s no secret that the desires of the political office differ significantly from the desires of the general public. A survey last year found that 75% of Australians believe that MPs enter politics to serve their own interests rather than the public interest. 

In contrast, transgender people are notoriously impoverished. A Human Rights Commission analysis found that transgender women in the US earn as little as 60 cents to the average dollar. This, on top of the expenses involved in transition itself, means trans people are disproportionately financially compromised and reliant on external support for societal security.

The recommendations provided in last year’s review – that our healthcare should be expanded and investing in training new medical specialists – go against the values of capitalism. It’s massively in the interests of transgender people to advocate for issues such as universal healthcare, free education, and welfare rights, given how disproportionately dependent we are on these systems. This puts our community in solidarity with a working class struggle, and therefore, in conflict with the ruling class.

The political elite want to distract the public from the failures of capitalism and inflame hatred towards vulnerable groups, and they do this by portraying transgender rights as purely an issue of identity politics. We can’t allow their strategy to work. 

The biggest issues facing Australians at the moment are cost of living pressures, an ongoing housing crisis, and the onset of climate change. As an extremely vulnerable group, transgender people suffer the consequences of political inaction on these issues more than most. An inquiry on our healthcare is a pointless, wasteful distraction.

The science is in. Puberty blockers and hormone therapy are safe, effective and life-saving. There are thousands of examples of transgender people of all ages who have lived the benefits of these medications. This healthcare should be made free, more accessible, and information about it made more available. Every expert has said this for decades. It’s time to move forward.

We can’t settle for less than we deserve. Let’s fight for an expansion to healthcare, in solidarity with the broader public. Trans rights are human rights. Everyone wins when trans rights win.