South Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic tweeted this last week:

This morning the Greens and Labor opposed my move to have my Childhood Gender Transition Prohibition Bill referred to a Senate committee for a hearing.

The Bill seeks to outlaw gender transition surgery and puberty blockers being prescribed for minors.

Thank you to the 23 who… pic.twitter.com/ZPrlZa2sGg

— Senator Alex Antic (@SenatorAntic) November 16, 2023

Equality Australia celebrated the commitment of Labor and the Greens to keep experimenting on children with drugs that have been proven harmful and irreversible.

It appears that those in power seem hell-bent on ignoring the fact that countries such as the UK, Norway, Finland and Sweden have all ceased such treatments due to serious concerns.

An email to Equality Australia supporters falsely labelled the bill “discriminatory” and an “attack” on trans young people. The email also said:

Once again, trans lives were up for debate, and trans people and their families bravely shared their stories of how gender affirming healthcare can help trans young people to thrive. Together with parents, doctors and trans led organisations, we reached out to key politicians and worked to ensure we had the numbers to win the vote in the Senate. 

In celebration and solidarity,

Ghassan Kassisieh

Legal Director

“Trans lives are not up for debate” is a ridiculous statement. This bill was about ensuring appropriate healthcare and child safeguarding.

What do Labor and the Greens have to fear from a comprehensive inquiry, if they truly believe giving children irreversible and harmful medications is the right thing to do?

It is important that we don’t give up. I urge you to continue to contact the Senators in your state and express either your gratitude or disappointment according to how they voted. Uninformed, activist politicians should not be standing in the way of genuine research and studies or the investigations required to protect our children.