In 2022 Binary highlighted the dangerous policy that allowed untrained and unqualified school staff to socially transition children at school without parental knowledge or consent.

Now, years later, it has been revealed that the Victorian education department is not keeping records about how many students have been socially transitioned.

The situation has sparked vehement criticism from distressed parents and eminent medical and legal experts, prompting a psychiatric specialist in gender dysphoria to warn there is no scientific consensus that social transition improves mental health and wellbeing outcomes, and clear evidence that it leads many young people toward medical transition, with associated irreversible harms, such as the loss of fertility and sexual function.

Not only are there no guidelines in the departmental policy regarding what constitutes an “unsupportive” parent, there is also no requirement for staff to document or account for this life-altering decision, nor for them to consult medical practitioners.

Teachers are also advised they must not tell parents about a child’s desire to change their gender without the permission of the child.

Binary was accused of fearmongering during the lead up to the 2022 Victorian state election despite taking the information directly from the department of education website to warn parents this could happen. The information has been in plain sight for years and the awnings were not heeded. 

The Victorian Department of Education website states: “There may be circumstances in which students wish or need to undertake gender transition without the consent of their parent/s (or carer/s), and/or without consulting medical practitioners”.

“If no agreement can be reached between the student and the parent/s regarding the student’s gender identity, or if the parent/s will not consent to the contents of a student support plan, it will be necessary for the school to consider whether the student is a mature minor,” the website’s section on “LGBTIQA+ Student Support” states.

“If a student is considered a mature minor they can make decisions for themselves without parental consent and should be affirmed in their gender identity at school without a family representative/carer participating in formulating the school management plan.”

School staff are not medically trained or qualified to put children on experimental and detrimental pathways. It is unacceptable that they have been granted such power. 

Melbourne psychiatrist Alison Clayton, who has published peer-reviewed papers on gender dysphoria, said social transition was “often the first intervention of the gender-affirmative treatment pathway”.

“Subsequent interventions can include puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and various surgeries – all of which have significant associated harms, for example to sexual and reproductive function,” Dr Clayton said.

The evidence points to children growing out of gender distress if left unmedicalised but with good support networks. However, socially transitioned children will most likely go on to puberty blockers and cross sex hormones which result in irreversible consequences such as sterility and zero sexual function.

“In fact, two studies undertaken by the RCH Melbourne have not found any association between social transition and improved mental health outcomes (Engel et al. (2023) and Dahlgren-Allen et al. (2021)). The Engel et al. paper actually found that adolescents who had socially transitioned had lower quality of life scores than those who had not socially transitioned.”

Dr Clayton said there was also evidence that undertaking a full social transition in childhood led to an early medicalisation pathway, “with all the associated harms this entails”.

The Victorian Government has a duty and responsibility to families to change this harmful policy. Children should not be subject to experimental and harmful pathways. Parental rights to care for and direct their children should not be usurped by the state. The government is not their daddy!