PEOPLE with Disability Australia (PWDA), the national peak representing LGBTIQA+ people with disability, has condemned the Queensland Government’s decision to suspend the provision of puberty blockers and hormone therapies to minors seeking gender-affirming care in state health facilities.
PWDA says this decision undermines the rights of young people and denies their access to essential health care.
It further states:
The Queensland Government’s action is out of step with the Australian Government’s National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People.
The plan explicitly calls for equitable access to gender-affirming healthcare, evidence-based care, and inclusive health services for LGBTIQA+ individuals.
The Queensland Government has not only disregarded the plan but is jeopardising the safety and health outcomes of young people, including those with disability, who already face significant barriers to inclusive healthcare.
PWDA recognises that the evidence on the benefits of hormone treatments is well-established. Policies like this increase stigma and marginalisation of the communities we represent.
“Transgender and intersex people with disability already face enough barriers to accessing the healthcare we need – and for kids it’s even harder,” PWDA president Trinity Ford said.
“This public health moratorium increases barriers to care by an order of magnitude. Young people, trans or disabled, must have the right to make decisions about their own bodies without political interference.
She said the evidence was clear that puberty blockers and hormone therapies are safe, effective, and necessary.
“The Queensland Government’s own earlier review affirmed this,” she said.
“The state banning puberty blockers means it is forcing children to undergo irreversible changes to their secondary sex characteristics, instead of buying them and their families time to decide.”
Ms Ford said the decision flaunted established medical evidence and put young people, including those with disability, at serious risk of harm. It must be reversed immediately.”
PWDA deputy CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said: “Young people with disability know what they need. They should be supported by their families and medical teams to make healthcare decisions without interference from politicians.”
“Public healthcare is under-resourced and oversubscribed. PWDA understands that the catalyst for this decision was one regional health centre where, for just 17 out of some 550 patients, a partly staffed multidisciplinary team made harm-minimisation decisions for patients who presumably needed urgent care.”
PWDA calls on the Queensland Government to reverse this harmful policy and to engage with medical professionals, transgender people, and disability organisations to uphold the rights and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ young people.
